Ariella's Diary
by Ariel Lynn
Summary: This diary belongs to: Ariella Jae Weasley. Come jump into the pages of the unique and bubbly Weasley cousin's diary and learn how one event can turn her entire world upside down. And how she does the same to everyone else's world.
1. Chapter 1: Goodbyes

**A/N: Welcome to Ariella's Diary! Okay, okay…I'm really looking forward to writing this story purely because it's been in my head for like 5 years now and I'm just now putting it on "paper" for everyone to read. Ariella is my own character I created to go along with JKR's story of Harry Potter. Although, I'm nervous because I don't know how people will react to the made up character, but here you go! This is the character story that probably inspired me to write fanfic! Enjoy and please review! :]**

_Dear Diary,_

_Today I arrived back at Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur's house. However, this time I'll be here for good. Mum and Dad were murdered last night. By who you ask? By Voldemort, of course. Starla is gone too…she was so young. Luckily (I guess), I was here visiting Ron when it all happened. I was sent home to pack my things this morning and moved into Ron's room. While I was there, I happened to grab a couple of my family's things. Mum's broom, Dad's old potion book, and Starla's doll. Unfortunately, all of our family photos were destroyed so I only have their faces in my memory. Anyway, back to Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur…they've taken me in, thankfully. Being the only family I have left, I'd be lost without them. However, school life is going to change. Aunt Molly insisted I go to Hogwarts with Ron and Ginny, so I've transferred out of Beauxbatons. It'll be so strange not being there for my last year of school. And it would've been Starla's first year. So sad she never got to go to school…I just hope Hogwarts isn't too different. At least Aunt Molly is letting me stay in Ron's room. With us only being a month apart in age, Ron is more a brother than he is a cousin. Well I need to start unpacking._

…_..._

After shutting her diary and hiding it under her pillow, Ariella wiped her damp face with the backs of her hands. She then took her blue Beauxbatons ribbon and tied her long red hair back to keep it from sticking to her face. As she stood up and began putting away her wardrobe, Ron Weasley walked inside their room.

"Ariella?" he said as he walked over to her bed. He put his hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

She looked up at her cousin, tears still streaking down her face. "Of course not, Ronald. How would you feel if your family was just murdered and you were the only one that lived?"

He frowned and turned her around to face him. "I know you're upset, but you must realize how lucky you are."

" I don't feel very lucky…."

"Well you are. You have a family that's more than happy to take you in. My friend Harry is more a servant than a nephew to his aunt and uncle. And he's never really met his parents. At least you still have your memories of your parents and sister."

Ariella hugged him tight. "I know I should be thankful, and I am for you all. But I can't help feeling guilty that I got to live while they had to die."

Ron pulled back to look at her. "Give it time. I'm sure this is all part of the healing process. In the mean time, Mum wants to take you to get new school robes."

Ariella looked at him, confused. "Why? Can't I just wear my Beauxbatons uniform?"

He laughed. "You could, but you'd stick out with all the other students wearing black."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I wouldn't complain. There's nothing wrong with standing out in a crowd."

He rubbed her head, messing up her hair. "Just get new robes. You stand out enough already."

Ariella smiled up at her favourite cousin. She loved how he could easily cheer her up. Being only a month apart, they were inseparable as kids and still were as they became adults. They were often mistaken to be siblings rather than cousins when they were together. As she fixed her hair, she said, "You're no fun."

"I am too! I play Quidditch! That's fun!"

"Yeah, and so do I," she stuck her tongue out at him, playfully, "But you're boring. You're a Keeper. I do quite well as a Seeker."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you do…Aunt Yasmine taught you everything."

She grinned. "Yep. And I bet you anything that when I go to Hogwarts, I'll be a Seeker for one of the Quidditch teams."

He laughed wildly. "Good luck with that. Harry's our Seeker and he's one of the best."

She put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to her right. "And who says I have to be on Gryffindor's team?"

"The Sorting Hat. You're a Weasley…where else would you go?"

"For your information, my mother was in Slytherin so there's always the possibility."

"Yeah, maybe a two-percent chance. All of the Weasley's have always been put into Gryffindor."

"Even more of a reason for me to be sorted into Slytherin. Just one more way for me to be different." With that, she stuck her tongue out at him and skipped out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2: A Guaranteed Gryffindor?

**A/N: Kind of a rough start as there weren't many readers. :[ But either way, I will continue! I didn't expect 1000 readers overnight, anyway. I imagine OC stories are hard to "sell." Anyway, Chapter 2! We learn more about Miss Ariella Weasley and she meets some new characters. :] And also, I just made a poster for the story that I'll be adding to my profile. It's my first, so don't expect a masterpiece. :P Enjoy and Review!**

"Come on, Ron. Just throw it already!" Ariella shouted down at him.

Ten days had passed since she became a permanent resident at the Burrow. Her family had done a good job at keeping her busy to help keep her spirits up. Aunt Molly had her help bake special treats in the kitchen. Uncle Arthur bombarded her with questions about some of her Muggle possessions: a flat iron, a curling iron, and, of course, the infamous rubber duck (although, it was charmed to talk back when she would talk to it). Ginny had several magazines full of ball gowns that they would religiously flip through, imagining themselves in the perfect dress. And Ron had convinced her to help him train for the Quidditch season. Today, they took a break from training and were challenging their skills. Ariella had a tiny golden ball that she would use as a practice Snitch. Ron had been throwing it across the sky and Ariella would take off to fetch it.

Ron was on his broom, hovering ten feet above the ground. "We've been at this for an hour! Lets do something else."

She glared down at him from her own broom, which was hovering well over 20 feet above his. "This is the last time, I promise. I just feels great to be flying again."

He sighed and flew up to her. "Fine, but I'm making it tricky this time. Close your eyes when I throw it."

She smirked and followed his request. One thing her mum had taught her was how to listen for the Snitch. The Snitch (and her golden ball) flying through the sky and wind made a faint and unique sound that could only be heard by well trained ears.

As Ron heaved the golden ball, she heard a soft twinkling flying far behind her. She waited a few seconds to let it get distance and then opened her emerald green eyes. Quickly, she turned around and sped toward the twinkling. She could see the ball glistening in the sunlight as she pressed forward. It flew further and further and started falling toward the ground below. She leaned forward, flying as fast as she could, and reached her hand forward when she got close to it. Getting closer to the ground, she stretched forward, grabbing the ball between her index and middle fingers and quickly pulled up on the broom handle to make it stop. Now hovering just seven feet off the ground, she turned her broom around to look back at Ron, who was flying down to her.

She smirked up at him, holding the golden ball up between her two fingers to show him. "Nice try, Ronald."

He finally stopped beside her, his mouth gaping. "How the bloody hell did you do that?"

She laughed. "I heard it fly behind me," when he gave her a look of question, she rolled her eyes, "The Snitch has a very faint twinkling noise that it makes when it flies through the air. My mum trained me to listen for it. Not many hear it. It's unnoticeable unless you know what to listen for."

He nodded slowly, still slightly confused. "Either way, that was amazing. Now lets go inside. Mum said she's taking us to get you school robes today."

She sighed, but flew back down to the ground. She really didn't want new robes. She had seen Ron's and they weren't very special. She preferred her blue Beauxbatons uniform to his black Hogwarts robes.

Once they were inside, Molly rushed them upstairs to change. Within minutes, they were back downstairs, fully cleaned and changed. Despite their closeness, Ariella and Ron definitely and different tastes in style. His faded jeans and red t-shirt clashed against her bright green dress, pink bangles, and black capri leggings. His long red hair was a mess, while hers was pulled up tightly into a ponytail.

Molly approached her son and niece, looking rushed. "Come along you two. We needn't waste time standing here." She then grabbed their hands and apparated them all to a small, private boutique.

Ron looked around, confused. "Mum? Why did you bring us here?"

Molly sighed. "Well since Diagon Ally is crawling with Death Eaters, I'd much rather bring Ariella here," she looked around at her niece, whom was already looking at sample robes, "Ella, dear, come look over at these robes."

Ariella turned around to look at the robes her aunt was talking about. Her face scrunched up at them. "But they all look so…plain."

Finally, the boutique's owner came out to greet them. She was a short and plump woman wearing outrageously purple robes. Her curly brown hair looked like a poodle was on her head.

She smiled at the three of them. "Ah, Mrs. Weasley. I've been expecting you. Now what is it that you are looking for?"

Molly walked over to shake the woman's hand. "Well, my niece here needs new school robes for this year."

The owner looked over at Ariella. "Very well," she walked over to the "plain" robes Molly had suggested earlier, "These are our more popular school robe choices."

Ariella folded her arms across her chest and stared at the woman. "Don't you have anything else? Something a little more…fun?"

"They're just school robes! They don't have to be 'fun'." Ron said, sounding annoyed with her.

As Ariella glared over at her cousin, the owner walked towards the back of the boutique. "More 'fun' you say? Hmm…." She disappeared behind a red velvet curtain and returned with a crisp black robe. The inside of the robe was black with faint silver sparkles. On the back was a rhinestone pattern in the shape of the Hogwarts crest.

Ariella grinned widely and clapped her hands when she saw the robe. "It's so pretty! I want it!"

Ron shook his head. "Why? So you can wear it for one day and then switch to Gryffindor robes?"

The owner smiled at him. "But you, that's what makes this robe special. It is charmed to change according to the House that you are sorted into. So, if you were to be put in Gryffindor, the sparkles on the inside would change from silver to red and the pattern on the back will change to the Gryffindor House crest."

Ariella's grin widened. "It's perfect."

Molly finally interrupted. "Almost perfect. I doubt this spectacular robe is anywhere near our price range."

Ariella frowned over at her aunt. "Maybe not your price range, but I can surely afford it."

"You are not buying your robes! It's my responsibility as your aunt."

Ariella walked over and took both of her aunt's hands in her own. "Please, Aunt Molly. Let me buy them. You can still buy my supplies, if you wish. My mum and dad wouldn't want you to worry about providing for me. Besides, I really want these robes."

Molly sighed, knowing it was no use to argue with her. "I suppose. But I will get you your supplies!"

Ariella smiled and hugged her aunt before rushing over to try the robe on. It was a little too long, but fit perfectly nonetheless.

The owner smiled at the young girl. "It suits you. As for the length, that's an easy fix," she swished her wand and the robe shortened to fit Ariella's height, "There. Now it's perfect."

Ariella smiled as she spun around the boutique in her robe. Ron couldn't help but laugh at her.

Molly looked at the owner. "So how much does the robe cost?"

The woman tapped her chin with her finger. "Well, it's been quite a while since I've sold one of these, so how about I give you a small discount? Twelve galleons, please."

Ariella stopped spinning and handed the woman twelve galleons. She then walked over to her aunt and smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Molly. I really love this robe."

Molly returned her niece's smile. "You're welcome, Ella."

At that moment, the boutique's front door swung open. Two tall men with platinum blonde hair and cold grey eyes stepped inside. Both were wearing black suits and black cloaks.

The older man, who's hair was just below his shoulders, spoke first. "Good day, Miss Margret. I'm sure you've gotten my son's dress robes ready by now, yes?" His voice was deep and strong.

The owner, Miss Margret, swallowed hard. "But of course, Mr. Malfoy. Right this way." She lead him back to a room hidden by another red velvet curtain.

His son walked over to Ron and glared. "What're you doing here, Weasley? Surely your family can't afford anything in this place."

Ariella's hands balled up into fists as she glared at the young man insulting her cousin.

Before she could say anything, his father called for him from the back room. "Draco! Get in here!"

The young man stood there a minute before rushing back to the room where his father was.

Molly quickly grabbed Ron and Ariella's hands. "Come on. Lets leave before they come back out." With that, she apparated them back home to the Burrow.

Once they were home, Ariella and Ron ran upstairs to their room.

Ariella flopped down on her bed and looked up at Ron. "Who were those people?"

Ron scratched his head. "Who? The blondes from the boutique?" he scoffed and rolled his eyes, "That was Draco Malfoy and his father, Lucius."

"Draco Malfoy? Hmm…interesting name. Does he go to Hogwarts?"

He laid down on his bed. "Unfortunately. He's been giving us trouble since day one. He's in Slytherin though so we're only around him during classes and Quidditch matches."

She nodded. "So I take it he's not very nice?"

"Hell no! Malfoy's the worst of the worst. He thinks he's better than everyone else just because his family's filthy rich and pureblood."

"Hmm…" she laid down and stared at the ceiling, "Too bad he sounds like a complete arse. He's definitely handsome."

Ron sat up and threw his pillow at her.

Ariella sat up quickly and glared at him. "What the hell is your problem?"

"You're completely mental if you think Malfoy is handsome! There is no way any cousin of mine is going to be even remotely attracted to scum like him so just forget it, Ariella."

She threw his pillow back twice as hard as he had. "And there is no way any cousin of mine is going to tell me who I can and can't be attracted to. All I said is that he was handsome, so get over it and shut up!" she laid back down and turned away from him. She heard him growl and lay back down hard.

Angry, she shut her eyes and saw the young Draco Malfoy in her mind. He really was handsome, but his attitude was awful. Now, as crazy as it seemed, she really hoped she got sorted into Slytherin. Not only to cause controversy, but she wanted a chance to meet this Draco Malfoy. Maybe Ron only knew one side of him? She had to see for herself.


	3. Chapter 3: The Pursuit of Happiness

**A/N: Hope everyone had a great holiday. :] Now on to Chapter 3! More characters enter the story and Ariella talks about her life at Beauxbatons. I hope everyone likes the chapter. :] Oh and the "000" stands for a change in time, like going from one day to the next. Enjoy and review!**

_Dear Diary,_

_Life at Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur's is going well. We even got my new robes last week. They're so different and special. I love them! Also, we ran into this boy named Draco Malfoy while we were at the boutique. Draco…such an intriguing name. It actually surprised me how much he reminds me of Deja. A unique "D" name, blonde hair, snobby attitude…the only difference is his eyes are grey, not blue. Although, Ron says he's a total arse. I'm still determined to meet him…Ron's probably only seen his bad side. No one could possibly be that horrible all the time. So anyway, Ron's best friends are coming today and I'm supposed to meet them as soon as they get here._

…_..._

"ARIELLA! Get down here!" Ron called up to her from downstairs.

Ariella cringed. "And apparently they're here now…." as she said this, she wrote it in her diary and closed the cover. She quickly threw it under her pillow before running downstairs to the sitting room.

Standing there, beside Ron, were a male and female. The male was short, had short black hair, and wore round rimmed glasses. The female was slightly taller, had thick long brown hair, and carried a small, purple, beaded handbag.

Ron pulled Ariella over to stand in front of these two people. "Ariella, these are my best friends, Harry," he pointed toward the male, "and Hermione," he pointed at the female. His attention then went to his friends, "Harry, Hermione, this is my cousin, Ariella."

Ariella smiled at the strangers. "Hello. It's nice to meet you both. Ron's been talking non-stop about you guys all summer."

Harry chuckled and smiled back. "Same to you, Ariella. Although, why haven't we met before?"

Ariella's smiled faded. "Normally, I'd be home by now."

Harry nodded. "Ah. Extended your stay this year?"

Ariella turned her head away and there was an awkward silence in the room before Ron cleared his throat, loudly. "Um…she's moved in with us this summer. Her family was murdered."

Harry frowned and looked back at Ariella. "I'm really sorry, Ariella," when she looked back at him, he said one word, "Voldemort?" he sighed when she nodded back at him, "I'm sorry. I'm doing my best to end this."

Ariella looked back at him, confused. "What?"

Ron's eyes widened as he stared at his cousin. "Seriously, Ariella? You've never heard of him? Harry Potter? The-Boy-Who-Lived?" he shut his mouth when Harry glared over at him.

"Sure I've heard of him…you must be mental to have not heard of him. But why rely on him to handle my problem?"

Harry scratched his head. "Because he's the second most powerful wizard in the world?" he said it as more of a statement rather than a question.

Ariella sighed and shook her head. "Even so, we shouldn't rely on you for help," she held up her hand as Harry opened his mouth to protest, "I realize you're "The-Chosen-One" or whatnot, but that doesn't give people the right to force their problems and battles onto you. If anything, we all should be helping you take care of this bastard."

Harry scratched his head again. "You're not afraid of what could happen if you did help?"

Ariella rolled her eyes. "Sure. I mean, who wouldn't be? But the thought of what life would be like without him in this world is worth facing those fears."

Hermione smiled and finally spoke up. "You're absolutely right, Ariella."

Ariella smiled over at her. "Thanks."

"Ah. Harry. Hermione. You're finally here," Molly walked into the room, smiling, and hugged both Harry and Hermione before turning to face her niece, "Oh. Ella, dear, you'll be moving into Ginny's room so Harry can stay in Ron's room. I hope you understand."

Ariella nodded. "Of course. It's fine," she then looked over at Hermione, "Will she be in Ginny's room too?"

Molly looked over her shoulder at Hermione. "Yes, yes. Of course. Now, go on and move things around and get your rooms set up while I get lunch ready." With that, she took off to the kitchen to prepare enough food for six.

Ron and Harry darted upstairs, leaving Ariella and Hermione behind in the sitting room. They could hear the boys shoving, laughing, and yelling the whole way up the stairs.

Ariella shook her head. "Do they always act like that together?"

Hermione giggled. "Unfortunately. I don't think they'll ever grow up," they then began to walk upstairs to meet the boys, "So, do you go to Hogwarts too?"

Ariella turned around and continued walking up the stairs backwards. "Well, this year Aunt Molly had me transfer to Hogwarts so I'd be with Ron and Ginny. But before all of that, I went to Beauxbatons."

"Really? Wow…I can't imagine going somewhere other than Hogwarts. And this is your seventh year, right?" when Ariella nodded, she continued, "Wow. So this is going to be all new for you. With what happened to your family and now you have to go to a new school, where you have no friends, for your final year. I would hate to have to go through all of that."

Ariella chuckled slightly. "Trust me, I'm not enjoying it either. But I do well when it comes to making new friends so it's not too bad. Besides, it'll be hard for people to not notice me in the robes I got." she grinned when she saw Hermione's confused look, "They were pricey, but I love them. They're so different. I'll show you later." They then reached the top of the stairs and saw Harry and Ron carrying two trunks full of Ariella's possessions.

Ron walked toward them. "About time you two show up. There's only a couple things left to bring down." He and Harry then walked past the two girls and carried the trunks downstairs.

Ariella and Hermione then entered Ron's bedroom. Ariella's bed was untouched and there was still a box of books to be taken down. Ariella walked over to her bed, picked up her pillow, and grabbed her diary, tossing it into the box. She then walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out her school robes, which were still hanging inside. She then put the robe on and spun around for Hermione to see.

Hermione giggled. "You were right. They're definitely different. But they look amazing."

Ariella smiled and continued to pack more of her stuff into the box, still wearing the robe. "I know, and they get better. You know the sparkles and rhinestone pattern? They'll change according to the house I'm sorted into. So if I'm sorted into Slytherin, the sparkles will change from silver to green and the rhinestone pattern will change to the Slytherin house crest." Ariella couldn't help but grin wider at the thought of her robe changing for Slytherin.

Hermione; however, scrunched up her face at the mention of Slytherin. "Hopefully that won't happen. You'd be better in Gryffindor."

Ariella sighed. "Why is my being in Slytherin such a horrible idea?"

"No one good has ever come out of Slytherin, that's why. Ariella, I realize we just met, but I can tell you're a good person. Slytherin isn't the place for you."

Ariella couldn't help but glare over at the brunette. "My mother was in Slytherin and she was anything but a bad person."

Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." There was an awkward silence between them before Hermione spoke again. "So, you're hoping to be sorted into Slytherin then?" she sighed when Ariella nodded at her, "Why?"

Ariella intertwined her fingers behind her back. "Well, partly because of my mother, partly because of the whole "Weasley's belong in Gryffindor" thing…" her mind wandered to Draco Malfoy and she couldn't suppress her smile, "and because of other reasons."

Hermione saw the grin on Ariella's face and smiled. "And who or what would this other reason be?"

Ariella giggled. "Well, the day we went to get my school robes, a boy and his father came in as we were getting ready to leave the boutique."

Hermione gasped. "A boy? Do you know who it was?"

Ariella smiled and nodded. "When we got home, I asked Ron. He wasn't very happy though. He said his name is Draco Malfoy. He said he's not very nice though. But he's so handsome."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her. "You like Malfoy? Are you mental?"

Ariella rolled her eyes. "First of all, I just said he was handsome. Second of all, I'm not going to automatically assume he's a complete arse just because you guys say he his. You never know…maybe he has a soft side that no one knows about." she shook her head when Hermione tried to interrupt, "Forget it. Lets just get this stuff down to Ginny's room."

000

As Ariella laid in bed, she could hear heavy breathing coming from the sleeping Ginny and Hermione. She continued to stare at the ceiling, thinking about both Draco Malfoy and Deja Clark. Seeing their faces beside each other, they looked like they could be twins. She sighed, sat up, and got out bed. She then made her way downstairs to the kitchen and got herself a glass of milk. As she leaned against the counter and drank her milk, Ginny and Hermione walked around the corner, into the kitchen.

Ginny rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Ariella? What are you doing up?"

Ariella took a drink. "My mind was racing, so I couldn't sleep."

Hermione stepped forward. "Thinking about Malfoy?"

Ariella rolled her eyes, though no one could see her do it because of the darkness. "Drop it, Hermione."

Ginny looked at both Hermione and Ariella. "What are you talking about?"

"Ariella has a crush on Malfoy." Hermione's voice sounded as if she was teasing Ariella.

Before Ariella could respond, Ginny gasped. "You like Malfoy?"

Ariella held her finger up to her mouth. "Shhh! Not so loud!" she then sighed, "Look, I said he's handsome. I want to meet him before I say whether or not I like him."

Ginny looked at her, confused. "But why? What is it about Malfoy that makes you attracted to him? Surely Hermione told you how he treats everyone like scum?"

Ariella sighed. "Yes, she and Ron both told me. But I still believe that he might have a softer side underneath the attitude."

"Both Ronald and I have told you that he's an arse, and yet you still think he might be nice? What makes you think that?" Hermione sounded both confused and frustrated.

Ariella instantly thought back to Deja and smiled. "He seems just like someone I knew at Beauxbatons. She too had a negative attitude, but I gave her a chance and underneath it all was a softer, more sensitive side," she took another drink of her milk, emptying the glass, "At least, she did for the two years we were together."

Both Ginny and Hermione's eyes widened and screamed, "What?"

Ariella hit her forehead with her palm. "Seriously? Be quiet!" she then looked up at the two girls, "Yes, I dated a girl at an all girls school. It's not exactly that surprising. Hell, I think at least ten percent of the girls there are either lesbian or bisexual. I mean, when you're with all girls for most of the year for seven years straight, it's kind of expected."

Ginny cleared her throat. "What was her name?"

Ariella smiled. "Deja. Like I said, she was just like Draco. Blonde hair, bad attitude…but her eyes were bright blue. She had some of the most gorgeous eyes I'd ever seen in my life."

Ginny giggled and Hermione looked at Ariella with question. "Wait a minute. You said you were together for only two years…what happened?"

Ariella frowned and sighed. "Deja respected my wish to take things slow, but after two years, she wanted more and I wasn't ready. So, she got mad and broke things off."

Hermione frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Ginny then looked at Ariella. "Did Aunt Yasmine and Uncle Jeff know?"

Ariella shook her head. "No. Mum probably would've been okay with it. I mean, she was always really supportive. But Dad would've killed me if he ever found out."

Ginny giggled. "So when were you two together?"

"During our fourth and fifth years. We broke up the summer before sixth year."

Ginny grabbed her cousins hand. "Well, I think you deserve to be happy again. So, if you do happen to find Malfoy's softer side, I'll support you the whole way."

Hermione grabbed Ariella's other hand. "Me too. With everything you've been through, you're the one person I know that deserves happiness, even if it is with Malfoy."

Ariella smiled at both of them. "Thank you. It means a lot to me. But I just wish Ron would see things the way you two do."

Hermione chuckled. "Ron's stubborn. I doubt he'll ever see things the way you want him to, but give him some time and I think he might change his mind. I mean, you're family…I highly doubt he'll let your pursuit of happiness jeopardize the relationship you two have."

Ariella smiled. "I hope you're right, Hermione."


	4. Chapter 4: The First Impression

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! Every time I see a new review or subscription, it truly makes my day ((which, in turn, leads to more writing)). :] SO sorry this update took so long. I've had no time to sit down and just write. College is keeping me busy. But I'm going to do my best to update once every week(end). Anyway, on to Chapter 4! I've been dying to send them to Hogwarts, as the story before then isn't quite so interesting. Although, it gets better here! Draco Malfoy finally makes a true appearance and Ariella get's her wish. Enjoy and review! :]**

Today was finally the day. They were finally leaving for Hogwarts. Despite her nervousness, Ariella was prancing about Ginny's room, getting herself ready. Her trunk was already packed and waiting in the sitting room. She had already been out to the kitchen and prepared herself a bowl of cereal. Leaving it on the table to moisten (she never did like crunchy cereal), Ariella had made her way back up to Ginny's room to dress. Hermione and Ginny were still asleep, as it was only six-thirty in the morning. Ariella stepped over to her bed and began dressing into the clothes she had laid out the night before. Compared to her usual creations, this outfit was almost too simple. Faded jeans, black leather ballet flats, and a sweater. But not just any normal sweater. It was her mum's old Slytherin Quidditch Team sweater. As a little girl, she had fallen in love with it and could finally fit into it properly within the past year. She spun around in front of the mirror, looking at her complete outfit. She smiled at her reflection and left the room to go eat her breakfast.

Downstairs, Molly was up and running about the kitchen, trying to fix a quick breakfast for everyone. When she heard footsteps coming down the wooden stairs, she turned around to see her niece fully dressed and appeared to be ready to leave.

Ariella smiled as she sat down at the table and ate her first spoonful of cereal. "Good morning, Aunt Molly."

Molly smiled back at her. "Good morning, Ella. You're up and ready rather early this morning. Didn't Ronald tell you that we would be leaving at nine?"

Ariella nodded, swallowing another spoonful of cereal. "He did, but I couldn't help myself. I'm so excited about going to Hogwarts. Mum and Dad used to tell Starla and I about their schooldays there and it always sounded like a great place to learn magic at." She shoveled another spoonful into her mouth.

Molly nodded in agreement. "Yes. Your parents definitely enjoyed themselves while they were at school," she shook her head, "I still remember how your Uncle Arthur would constantly complain to me about his brother falling for a Slytherin."

"Well of course," Arthur had just walked into the room, "With the rivalry and with Slytherin being known to produce evil witches and wizards, what else was I supposed to think?" he walked over to his wife, kissed her cheek and then smiled down at his niece, "Although, I must say your mum was definitely an exception to all of that. When Jeff brought Yasmine home for Christmas during our sixth year, the family was not exactly pleased, you see. But, after a couple days, everyone started to warm up to her. Your mother was such a kind and unique individual, Ariella."

Ariella smiled up at her uncle. "That's what I loved most about her. She wasn't afraid to be different."

Arthur chuckled. "No, she definitely embraced her differences. And you've taken after her, in that respect.

Ariella smiled wider. "Thank you!"

Molly rolled her eyes and smiled. "Finish eating, dear, so you can go wake everyone up for breakfast." With that, she turned to start making a light breakfast for her family.

Ariella swallowed the last two bites of cereal, picked the bowl up to her mouth, and washed it all down with the remaining milk. She then stood up, looked over to the fireplace's mantle, and noticed an old black cowbell sitting there. She grinned and looked at her uncle. "Uncle Arthur? May I borrow that," she pointed at the cowbell, "for a moment?"

He looked over at the cowbell and gave her a strange look. "Um…sure. But may I ask, why?"

She walked over, picked up the cowbell and smirked. "Aunt Molly wants me to wake people up." With that, she ran upstairs, intending to give everyone the worst wake-up call of their lives.

000

At Kings Cross Station, Harry, Hermione, and the four Weasley's made their way to the barrier that hid Platform 9¾. After passing through, Ariella's grin widened when she saw all of the other students preparing to board the train to Hogwarts. She could see a pale blonde girl wearing some of the most mismatched clothes she'd ever seen, a tall dark haired boy getting lectured by his grandmother (she assumed), a set of twin girls who had dark skin and long black hair, and a tall blonde boy who was surrounded by three other boys and a girl. She shook her head and focused on the blonde boy again. It was _him_: Draco Malfoy! The girl had short black hair and a look on her face as if she had smelt something bad. One of the boys hand dark skin and dark hair. The other two were slightly taller than Draco, very plump, and had extremely short dark hair. It was then that she noticed how much Draco stood out amongst his group of friends.

The pale blonde in mismatched clothing had walked over to stand beside Ron and Harry. She smiled at all of them. "Hello Ron," she nodded at Ron, "Harry," she nodded at Harry, "Hermione," she nodded at Hermione. Then she looked over to Ariella. "What's your name?"

Ariella smiled at her. "Ariella Weasley. I'm Ron and Ginny's cousin."

"Ah," she nodded and walked away to greet the boy with his grandmother.

Ariella looked back at Ron with a confused look on her face. "Um…who was that?"

"Luna Lovegood. You'll get used to her," he said with a laugh.

Ariella shrugged. "Well, I vote we get on the train. It's almost ten-thirty now."

Everyone nodded in agreement and they proceeded to board the Hogwarts Express.

On board, most of the students had already claimed their compartments and were settling down for the long trip to Hogwarts. As Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Ariella made their way through the train, they kept searching for a compartment. Finally, halfway through their search, Ron spotted an empty compartment. They all rushed towards it and took their seats. All, except for Ariella.

Ginny looked around at the now occupied seats in their compartment and then up at Ariella. She frowned. "Sorry, Ariella. Here. You can have my seat. I'll find somewhere else."

Ariella shook her head as Ginny went to stand up. "No, it's fine. You all stay here. I'll just go sit someplace else. Besides, now will be a good opportunity to meet some new people." She flashed a small smile before turning to continue toward the back of the train. As she walked past dozens of already filled compartments, her positive attitude began to slip away.

…

In one of the compartments at the back of the train, Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe sat silent. Draco was staring idly out the compartment door, down the aisle. It was then that he saw a tall girl with red hair and wearing a Slytherin Quidditch sweater. He straightened up in his seat and stared at her. Her long red hair made her look oddly like a Weasley, but her school robes looked much to expensive for the Weasley family. She was certainly good looking. She appeared to be looking for a place to sit. He glanced over at Crabbe and Goyle, stood up, and stepped halfway out into the aisle.

…

"You looking for a place to sit?" a male voice called out.

Ariella looked up and saw the tall, young, blonde Draco Malfoy in the doorway of one of the compartments. She smiled at him and nodded.

He smiled back. "You can sit with us," he turned back into the compartment, "Crabbe, move over."

Ariella walked forward and entered the compartment. The two taller and fatter boys she had seen earlier were sitting opposite each other beside the door. Draco had sat down by the window. She gladly took the seat across from him. "Thank you. All of the others were full."

Draco nodded. "No problem. Now for introductions. I, of course, am Draco Malfoy. This here," he pointed to the boy sitting beside him, "is Goyle. And that over there," he pointed to the boy sitting beside her, "is Crabbe."

Ariella nodded at the other two boys. "Goyle and Crabbe? Surely those are last names, right?" when both of them nodded, she continued, "Well then, what are your first names?"

Crabbe and Goyle looked uncomfortably at Malfoy, who coughed and answered her question, "Um, well they're Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. But who are you?"

Ariella remembered what Ron had told her about Malfoy's. If he knew she was a Weasley, he'd probably automatically judge her right on the spot without giving her a real chance. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. "Well, I won't tell you my last name, but I will tell you my name is Ariella."

Draco looked at her, puzzled. "Ariella, eh? While that is a very pretty name, it'd be even better with a last name."

She leaned back and smiled at him. "Too bad. I'll tell you anything you want to know, except my last name."

"Hmm," Draco rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb, "How about your family? Are you pureblood? Who were your parents?"

She giggled. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am pureblood. My mum, Yasmine, was the Seeker for the Montrose Magpies. And my dad, Jeff, was a retired potions master." Hearing herself use the word 'was' to describe her parents, saddened her a bit. It had been a while since she'd spoken about them.

Draco had noticed her use of the word 'was' as well. "Impressive. What about now? What are the doing nowadays?"

Ariella frowned and looked out the window. They had begun moving. When, she wasn't sure of, but they were currently passing miles of green fields that had little vegetation besides grass. "Nothing."

Draco glanced out the window momentarily, trying to see what she was staring at. "What do you mean? They don't have any form of employment or anything?"

She inhaled deeply, holding back tears that threatened to fall. "They were murdered this summer. They along with my baby sister."

Draco stared at her, his tough 'Malfoy' exterior beginning to soften. "Murdered?" he inhaled deeply, "If you don't mind my asking, do you know what happened?" though he feared he already knew the answer to his own question.

She looked back at him. His mouth was almost forming a frown. His eyes looked worried. He seemed…caring. "All I know is that they were killed by Voldemort. Nothing else."

He let his head hang down and quickly glanced over to his right forearm. Less mudbloods, he was okay with, but why would the Dark Lord kill a pureblood family? The more he was learning about the life as a Death Eater, the more he regretted wanting to become one. He looked back up at her face. Her eyes looked glossy. "I'm really sorry for your loss."

She smiled softy at him. "Thank you," she changed to subject to lighten the mood, "So, you're in Slytherin, right?"

He nodded with a smirk. "Of course. All of the Malfoy's have been in Slytherin. How about you? Are you in Slytherin too?" he nodded at her sweater.

She looked down at her sweater, looked back at him, and blushed. "Oh no. Not yet anyway. My mum was in Slytherin. This was her sweater."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Your mother was on the Quidditch team?" he shook his head, "Sorry. It's just, my father always told me that Slytherin wouldn't allow girls to play back then."

She nodded, smiling. "He's right. My mum tried out her first year, but they turned her down because she was girl. Then she started practicing every chance she got until she was better than the boys. So when she tried out her second year, they didn't want to have her on the team, but they couldn't deny her skills either," she giggled, "They were wise to let her on the team too, because they ended up winning back the Quidditch Cup that year."

Draco scratched his head. "Wow. So, um, do you play Quidditch too?" when she nodded, he continued, "Really? What position?"

She grinned. "Seeker is my strongest position. My mum taught me everything she knew."

He leaned back, smirking. "Ah. That's a shame. We could've used a new player, but I'm the Seeker for Slytherin."

She folded her arms across her chest. The way he said that _he_ was the Seeker sounded a bit arrogant, which annoyed her. "Well, if I do end up in Slytherin, then prepare for some competition, because I intend to tryout."

He rolled his eyes. "Good luck. You'll need it."

She glared at him. "You really are a right foul git, you know that?" she turned to stare out the window.

Draco sat forward to try and look into her eyes. They were piercing and looked as if they might kill him if he stared too long. He sighed and placed his hand on her knee. "Look, I'm sorry. You're going through a tough time right now, so I shouldn't be acting like this."

She turned her head toward him, softening the glare she was giving him. "You mean it?" she smiled when he nodded, "Well then, how about we change the subject?"

He nodded. "Well, what year are you?"

"This is my seventh year," she said with a smile.

He gave her a confused look. "Seventh? Then how have you not been sorted yet?"

She giggled. "I transferred to Hogwarts from Beauxbatons this year. I moved in with my aunt and uncle and they wanted me to go here, so she had me transfer."

"Ah," he nodded, "Then are you hoping to be sorted into any specific house?"

She tugged on her sweater. "Green always has been my favourite colour."

He couldn't help, but laugh. The redhead in front of him was no ordinary girl and she certainly wouldn't be your average Slytherin Princess. That fact alone was enough to grab his attention. But still, it felt like she was hiding something. And that alone was enough to worry him.


	5. Chapter 5: ExCousin

**A/N: Greetings, readers! :] I'm terribly sorry it's taken me so long to update. Classes are insane and major writer's block for the past couple weeks. :[ Anyway, here's Chapter 5 for you. OH! And I decided my first poster for this story was pretty weak so I went back and made totally different one. I think it came out 100 times better. If for some reason, the link doesn't work ((it's been pretty screwy lately)), PM me or something and I'll send it to you there. So anyway, enjoy the chapter and please review! :]**

_Dear Diary,_

_Can you believe it? I'm in Slytherin! Just as I thought I would be. Although, it wasn't exactly an exciting moment. Firstly, when Draco heard Professor McGonagall call out "Ariella Weasley" and he saw me, well lets just say he didn't look happy. Secondly, when the Sorting Hat said "Slytherin," the whole room was silent until the teachers started applauding. It felt really awkward to be sitting amongst such a large group of people who think you shouldn't be there. Kind of sad, really. Well, they'll just have to accept it and move on, as I don't plan on leaving anytime soon…_

Ariella sniffled and wiped the tears from her right eye before returning to her diary.

…_However, the worst was what happened after dinner. Ron stopped me in the Great Hall…he looked so angry. He started yelling and accusing me of cheating the Hat just to spite him. I tried telling him it wasn't true, but he wouldn't listen. He turned and left, saying that I was "no cousin of his."_

Unable to finish writing, she tossed her diary aside and began wailing, tears flowing from her eyes. She leaned forward on the black leather couch in the Slytherin common room and cried into her palms, letting her red hair fall like a curtain around her face. Today was supposed to be the best day yet, but instead it was turning out to be a living nightmare.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Draco's voice said from behind her. He said it with a teasing laugh in his voice.

Frustration replacing her sadness, Ariella picked her head up and viciously glared back at him. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him, smirking. She stood up and faced them, her clenched fists shaking at her side. "I am Ariella Jae Weasley and whether you like it or not, I am in Slytherin. And right now, I'm really not in the mood to put up with you so I advise you leave me alone before I hex you all into the next millennium."

Draco glared back at her, stepping toward her. "Is that a threat?"

"No. It's a guaranteed promise," she stepped closer to him, making them only a few inches apart, "Now back off, Draco. Ron's already pissed me off. I don't need you making it any worse."

Draco smirked. "Oh yeah? What did the Weasel do to upset his poor little cousin?"

"Ex-cousin," she said, rather plainly despite how much it pained her.

He raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Ex-cousin?"

She turned around, folded her arms across her chest, and took two steps away from him. "Yes. According to him, I 'cheated' the Sorting Hat to put me into Slytherin all because he didn't want me to be in Slytherin. So now, I guess, he's decided to just toss out our 17 year-long history and says we're no longer family," she unfolded her arms and let her head drop to stare down at the green flames raging in the fireplace, "Who'd've thought that I could lose both of my parents, my little sister, and my favourite cousin all within a month and a half?"

Draco softened. He looked back at his friends. They seemed to have been untouched by her explanation. He turned back to her. He had had so many rude and hurtful comments to say to her earlier, but now he couldn't. She was already hurting because of her only source of comfort, even if it was Weasley. He still thought that the redhead in front of him was beautiful and he understood her reasoning for hiding her surname from him. If he had known she was a Weasley, he never would've tried to win her friendship. But now, it was too late. Strangely, he was hooked and couldn't push her from his thoughts. He had thought hurting her would make him forget her, but he didn't _want_ to forget her.

He walked around to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He sighed in…defeat? "Ariella. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She looked up at him with wet eyes. "No, you didn't know about my issue with Ron, but you did know my family was murdered. That alone should've made you think." She pushed his hands away from her and sat back down on the couch beside her diary.

He frowned down at her. Her back was facing him. If he wasn't a Malfoy, he'd just walk away now and give up any hope he had of making up to her. However, Malfoy men were known to be stubborn, especially when it came to something they weren't supposed to have.

He turned and waved Crabbe and Goyle away before sitting down beside her. She slid away from him and stuck a pillow between them. He sighed. "Look, I know I should've been a little more caring. And I remember what you said about your family and, you're right. That should've been enough for me to not be rude to you. But…I mean, you have to realize that you being a Weasley just triggers some kind of…instinct. I mean, it's just natural for me, I guess."

She turned to face him, with a look of disbelief on her face. "An instinct?"

He sighed again and let his head drop. "Horrible excuse, I know," he shook his head, "I don't know what else to tell you," he looked up at her, "I mean, all I want is another chance."

"Why? What makes you think you deserve another chance?"

"_Ouch. Way to go, Malfoy," _he thought. "Well, I'm not sure that I actually deserve _anything_ from you. But, I would like another chance. I mean," he reached over and picked up her left hand in his own, "You seem like you need someone for support and since the Weasel doesn't want to be there for you, I will." He regretted his last statement as soon as he saw the look she was giving him.

Her eyes narrowed at him and she snatched her hand away. "I don't need your pity," she stood up, "I can take care of myself."

He hit his forehead with his palm. "I didn't mean it like that. Look," he stood up beside her, "what I should have said is that…I _want _to be there for you."

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?" she smiled when he nodded in response, "Wow."

He smiled back. "Yeah, so…," he held out his hand, "How about we agree to just forget this little mishap and start over?"

She glanced down at his hand, nodded, and shook his hand. "Agreed."

He grinned. "Good. So, um," he scratched the back of his head remembering something she had said, "What's the 'J' stand for?"

She gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"Your name. You said 'Ariella J. Weasley.' What's the 'J' stand for?"

She laughed wildly. "My middle name is Jae. It's spelled J-A-E." She giggled more at the confused look he was giving her. She had gotten used to explaining her strange middle name to people.

"That's a boy's name!"

She laughed again, shaking her head. "It was my mum who named me. Actually, she named both of us. So, when you consider the fact that a woman named Yasmine named her daughters Ariella Jae and Starla Eve, it doesn't seem so strange."

He chuckled. "Yasmine seems fairly normal compared to my parents. Lucius and Narcissa." He shook his head.

She shrugged. "Explains why you're name is so different. It fits you though. You definitely seem like a dragon to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled. "It's a positive thing, really. Well, mostly positive. To me, you seem strong and powerful like a dragon. Although, you're fiery like a dragon, which isn't necessarily a good thing."

He puffed out his chest. "Who are you kidding? Those are all my best qualities."

She giggled and poked him making his chest deflate. "Being a pain in the arse isn't a good quality."

"I never said it was. All I was saying was that I'm really good at it," he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him. He was telling the truth there. Although, inside she was smiling. Slowly, she was uncovering the soft side she knew he had. And what was better was that he seemed willing to let her uncover it. Of course, she was still upset about Ron, but at least now she had something to keep her happy.


	6. Chapter 6: Quidditch

**A/N: Hey everyone! Life has been really stressful lately and it's really affecting my writing moods. And with no reviews, I don't really have much inspiration to keep writing this. I will continue, but it'll probably be a while in between updates. Anyway, on to Chapter 6! I'll say one word: Quidditch! Ah? Haha. Read and review! :]**

When Ariella woke up on this particular morning, she felt excited and competitive. Today was the day of tryouts for the Slytherin quidditch team. She and Draco had been discussing it and taunting each other about it all week. However, despite Draco's multiple attempts to get her to practice with him, she refused. She wanted to keep her skills a secret until today.

Once she climbed out of bed, Ariella went over to her trunk and pulled out her mother's quidditch sweater, a pair of light wash jeans, socks, and tennis shoes. She dressed quickly, tied her hair back with her blue ribbon, and made her way out to the common room. There, Draco was sitting on one of the large sofas with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him. He looked up when Ariella entered the room and smirked.

"I see someone's ready for tryouts." he said as he stood up to greet her.

She returned his smirk. "And I see someone's ready to loose his position as Seeker."

"Uh-huh. We'll see." he said, rolling his eyes at her, "How about one last meal before we become opponents?"

She giggled. "Sounds good to me." With that, she pushed past Draco and made her way to the door. Just before she exited, she turned around to look at the three boys, "Well? Are you coming or not?" She giggled as she watched the three of them exchange glances before getting up and following her.

They climbed the stairs all the way up to the Entrance Hall, where Draco eventually took the lead, and entered the Great Hall together. Inside, the room was full of noise from students talking about Quidditch, classes, homework, and their weekend activities. As they made their way to the Slytherin table, Ariella noticed a handful of people staring at them. She figured most of them where curious as to why the Prince of Slytherin was hanging around the Weasley girl. At the same time, they might've been wondering what she did to earn a spot in Draco Malfoy's posse. No matter what their reasoning, she still didn't like to have dozens of eyes watching her.

As they all sat down, Draco gave her a curious look. "Is something bothering you, Ariella?"

She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "People are staring at us."

He glanced around at the people she had been referring to. Most of them, looked away as soon as he made eye contact with them. He rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the redhead. "Ignore them. They're probably just not comfortable with you being in Slytherin yet. But don't worry. With me on your side, it won't take long for them to get used to you."

She sighed and decided to take Draco's advice. As she piled eggs and bacon on to her plate, she happened to notice that one of the pairs of staring eyes belonged to Ron. When she made eye contact, his eyes narrowed at her before he looked down at his own plate. Glaring, she returned to her plate and began eating a little faster than normal. Halfway through her meal, she felt her arm being held down, stopping her from shoveling anymore food into her mouth. Her eyes traced up the arm holding hers down and saw that it belonged to Draco.

"What's wrong with you?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

She sighed. "Just frustrated. I saw Ron staring at me and then he just glared at me."

"Well then how about we get him back at the first Quidditch match by killing Gryffindor?"

She grinned. "You mean that figuratively, right?"

He shrugged. "Or literally. Either one with work."

Ariella smacked Draco's arm playfully. "Be nice." she laughed when he scoffed at her, "Okay. Let's hurry up and eat so we can get to the Quidditch Pitch early."

000

With their quidditch gear on and brooms in hand, Ariella and Draco made their way to the center of the field. There, the rest of Slytherin's team was waiting, as well as five other people who were trying out. Once they were in earshot of the group of people, it became quiet. The other team members greeted Draco warmly, while Ariella received cold glares from everyone. Though she had expected as much, the negativity still made her uncomfortable.

Graham Montague, Chaser and Captain for Slytherin, stepped away from the crowd, toward Ariella. He had a wicked smirk on his face. "What do you think you're doing here? Those here to watch must sit in the stands."

Narrowing her eyes, she stepped closer to him. "I'm not here to watch. I'm here to tryout for Seeker."

With that, the whole team, minus Draco, roared with laughter. "You think you can replace Malfoy?" She nodded. Montague laughed again. "You think we'd let a little girl like you just waltz in and take Malfoy's spot?" This time she glared, but still nodded slowly. Montague shook his head. "Girls can't play quidditch. They're small, weak, scared, prissy-" His sentence was cut off by a swift punch to his jaw.

When Montague lost his balance from the punch, Ariella quickly wrapped her arm around his neck, and flexed tightly. "So, what were you saying about girls being weak?" Montague grunted angrily as he tried to free his head from her grip. With that, she squeezed tighter. "Keep it up, Montague and I'll choke you. Now take back what you said."

He gave one final attempt to break free before giving in. "Fine!" His voice was weak. "I take it back."

She smirked. "Good. So are you going to let me tryout?"

At first he shook his head, but when she tightened her grip, he nodded furiously. "Alright, alright! You can tryout!"

Satisfied, Ariella released him, grinning. "Good. Now, does anyone else have a problem with me trying out?" She looked around at the rest of them team, who were all shaking their heads nervously.

Montague scoffed. "Look, Seeker tryouts are last so go wait over there somewhere." He lazily motioned his hand to the north end of the pitch.

She rolled her eyes and went over to stand by Draco, who was giving her a curious look. "Well I think you just gave people another reason to stare at you."

"What makes you say that?" she said, half jokingly.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Oh nothing. It's just, you know, the fact that you attacked the captain of the quidditch team. That's all."

Ariella giggled. "That just means people will think twice before they piss me off." She nudged Draco with her elbow, who smirked back at her.

000

"Malfoy! Weasley! It's your turn!" Montague called. When Draco and Ariella reached him, he folded his arms across his chest. "We haven't had Seeker tryouts for several years, so this'll be new for all of us." He pulled the Golden Snitch out of his pocket and held it up for both of them to see. "I am going to release the Snitch and you will stay on the ground for sixty seconds so it has time to get away. Then you will take off and begin your hunt of the Snitch. Once the Snitch is caught, tryouts will be over and we'll decide who the Seeker will be. Understood?" When they both nodded, Montague released the Snitch.

Immediately, Ariella's eyes darted to the Snitch's location. She heard it's twinkling sound as it flew out of her sight. As she readied herself on her broom, Montague blew his whistle, signaling they could take off. She took off quickly, following the distant noise. Every so often, she glanced over at Draco, who was maybe fifteen feet from her, still looking for the Snitch. Grinning, she returned her gaze to searching for the Snitch herself. The twinkling lead her to fly further and further upwards. High above the Quidditch Pitch, Ariella finally could see the Snitch zigzagging through the air. She pressed forward, increasing her speed toward the Snitch. She followed it up and up, and even when it took a sharp turn down toward the ground. As she soared downward, she could see Draco flying in her direction. She narrowed her eyes and pressed harder, slowly closing the gap between her and the Snitch. Once she was close enough, she stretched her right arm out, reaching for the Snitch. She grunted as she leaned forward, still unable to reach her goal. Quickly glancing down at the ground, she saw she was only six or seven feet from the ground. Making up her mind, she took a deep breath, stood up on her broom and lunged off of it, grabbing hold of the Snitch in the process. When she landed, she rolled across the ground a couple times until she came to a stop.

She lay there for a few moments, trying to determine if she'd broken anything during her fall. As she stood up, she could see every pair of eyes glued to her. The players on the field, the spectators in the stands, Draco-who had stopped flying not far from where she landed,-everyone was staring at her. She smirked and held up the Snitch between her fingers for everyone to see.

Stunned, Montague's mouth dropped open. When fellow Chaser, Adrian Pucey, nudged him with his elbow, Montague collected himself and blew his whistle once more, signaling the tryout was over.

Ariella _Accioed _her broom and she and Draco flew over to the rest of the team. When they landed, Pucey came over to her with a look of amazement in his eyes.

"How'd you do that? That was incredible!" Pucey exclaimed.

"That's enough!" Montague stepped forward, now glaring. "As impressive as that was, we still have a decision to make." He turned around and walked toward the locker rooms. "Pucey! Warrington! Crabbe! Goyle! Bletchley! Follow me!" As he yelled their names, the rest of the team rushed after their captain.

Draco turned to Ariella, his eyes wide. "Pucey's right. That was incredible. How'd know where it was?"

She grinned. "I heard it." She giggled at Draco's confused look he was giving her. "Here. I'll show you. Close your eyes."

The confused look didn't leave his face. "What do you mean?"

"Close your eyes. I'll teach you how to listen for the Snitch." When Draco finally closed his eyes, she continued. "Okay. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on listening for it."

"What does it sound like?"

"If I tell you, it'll influence you. Just relax and listen." After a few moments of silence, she opened her hand, releasing the Golden Snitch she'd just caught minutes ago. It stayed in her palm at first and then began to fly about their heads. She could see Draco's eyelids tighten and then widen when he finally heard the twinkling.

"What's that noise?" He sounded surprised that he could hear the faint noise.

She smiled. "It's the Snitch. The fluttering of it's wings make that faint twinkling noise you hear."

He opened his eyes and began to watch the Snitch. "I've never heard that before." He reached up and caught the Snitch in his palm. "How'd you know it made a noise?"

"My mum taught me how to listen for it." she said, smiling softly.

It was silent between them for a while until a familiar voice broke the silence. "Malfoy! Weasley! Get over here!"

They both looked over to see Montague and the rest of the team leaving the locker rooms. They rushed over and stopped in front of him.

"After much consideration, we have finally come to a decision. Draco…you will be our Seeker."

Ariella's mouth dropped. "What? But I caught the Snitch!"

Montague glared at her. "Let me finish!" She glared and folded her arms across her chest, but kept quiet. "Okay. As I was saying; Draco will be the Seeker. However, Ariella…we want you as a substitute."

She continued to glare at him. "A substitute?"

He nodded. "Yes. To fill in if-"

Ariella cut him off. "I know what it is, you nitwit! What I want to know it why I'm not the actual Seeker!"

Draco stepped forward. "I want to know the same thing. I mean, did you even pay attention to her? She's an excellent Seeker!"

Montague glared at him. "Well we decided as a team that you were better."

Draco shook his head. "Well I'm part of this team too and I say she's better." He then turned to face her. "Ariella…you can be Seeker. I'll be the substitute. You deserve the position."

"Malfoy!" Montague screamed.

Draco whipped around, glaring. "Shove off! It's my position to give up, not yours." He turned back to Ariella. "As I said before, you're our new Seeker. You're incredible."

Ariella smiled from ear to ear. "Really?" When Draco nodded at her, she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Oh thank you, Draco! You don't know how much this means to me."

He stiffened at first, but then relaxed and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're welcome, Ariella."

**A/N: Yay for a new chapter! :P So, technically some of the names I used for the Quidditch team are no longer on the team or at Hogwarts(possibly?), but they're the names I'm familiar with. Plus Montague and Pucey sound better than Urquhart and Vaisey. Hahaha! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the long awaited update. :]**


	7. Chapter 7: I'm With Draco

**A/N: Another chapter in the same day? What? Haha. I was in the mood to write today, which I what I did all day! :D Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. Things are heating up, finally! :P Enjoy and review.**

_Dear Diary,_

_Guess who's the new Seeker for Slytherin? Me! I was so excited! Technically, Draco gave up his spot for me, but it still made me happy. Also, things are getting better with the rest of the students. I don't get glared at every time I enter a room anymore. I'm not sure if it's because I'm with Draco or because of the way I attacked Graham, but either way, it's a relief._

Ariella reread her last sentence, blushing at the words 'I'm with Draco.' Smiling, she continued writing in her diary.

_Anyway, tonight I have to meet Draco in the library so we can work on our potions essays together. Although, it should be easy enough to do alone. I'm pretty sure most of what I need is in Dad's book. For now, I'm going to head to lunch and then my Arithmancy class._

As Ariella stuffed her diary back under her pillow, Pansy Parkinson entered the room. Ariella looked up at her and smiled. "Hey, Pansy."

Pansy flashed a semi-forced smile. "Hey. Malfoy's looking for you. He's out in the common room."

Ariella raised an eyebrow at her. "Why's he looking for me?"

Pansy shrugged and left the room.

She sighed and stood up from her bed. She put her school robe back on and walked out to the common room. There, she saw Draco sitting on a couch, with Pansy beside him. When he saw her, he stood up and walked over to her, a half smile on his face.

Ariella smiled back. "Hey, Draco."

"Hey. Are you ready for lunch?" She nodded. "Good. Then lets go."

She gave him a confused look. "So wait. Let me get this straight. You were looking for me so we could walk to lunch together? What about Crabbe and Goyle? They're not here."

He scratched his head. "I kinda told them to go ahead without me." He then stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I wanted us to hang out without them around. And I don't mean our study date tonight either."

Instantly, she felt her cheeks get hot and she knew they were bright shade of pink. Draco smirked and held out his hand for her to take. She stared at it for moment before putting her hand in his. Immediately, the other students in the room started to stare, while some even began to whisper. As he tugged her behind him, upstairs to the Entrance Hall, she could feel her heart racing. _"Surely he couldn't have feelings for me already. Could he? No. It's too early for that. Then what is this?" _She continued to think about it the whole way. When they entered the Great Hall, a lot of students stopped and looked up at them. Now she felt uncomfortable.

"Maybe this isn't such a good thing after all." She said quietly.

Draco looked back at her. "What isn't?"

"Being with the Prince of Slytherin. Everyone's staring at us."

He chuckled. "You make it seem like we're dating."

As they sat down, Ariella looked over at him with wide eyes. "You make it seem like we're dating more than I do. It's not everyday you see friends walk together, holding hands."

He smirked at her. "Do I hear someone complaining?" She blushed, and looked down at her plate as she began to fill it. He chuckled quietly. "I didn't think so."

Without looking up, she began talking again. "It's still not nice to trick people like that."

He glanced over at her as he filled his own plate. "Why? I mean, so what if they think we're together? They shouldn't assume things."

She bit her lip, trying to push down her anger, and looked up at him. "I didn't mean them. I mean-" she scoffed, shaking her head, "You know what? Never mind." She returned to her plate and started eating the chicken and potatoes she'd piled on there.

Draco frowned at her. "Ariella? What's wrong?" When she didn't respond, he sighed and began eating his own food. They ate in silence, but when Ariella stood up to leave, Draco grabbed her wrist. "Ariella, please. Don't be like this."

She glared at him and snatched her wrist from his grasp. As she walked away, Draco looked around the people who were now staring at him. He sighed, stood up and followed her. She ended up leading him all the way outside, down the hill, and stopped when she reached the edge of the Black Lake. As he walked up beside her, he noticed her eyes and cheeks looked wet.

"You were crying."

She nodded, annoyed. "People do that sometimes when their feelings are hurt, you know?"

He frowned and moved to stand in front of her. "I'm sorry. If I knew it was going to hurt your feelings, I wouldn't have done it." He lifted head up to make her look at him. "I really am sorry, Ariella."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "It's okay, I guess."

He could sense she was still upset. "Come here." he put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. Now he knew the girl in his arms had feelings for him; however, despite his attraction to her, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to return the same feelings. The next thing he knew, he was planting tiny kisses in her hair.

She pulled away, her breathing uneven. "Draco, please don't do that."

He tugged at the collar of his shirt, nervously. "Sorry. I-I-I didn't know what I was doing. I just, I don't know, reacted, I guess."

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Another instinct?"

He shook his head, sighing. "I don't know. It just…felt right."

She shook her head at him. "I think we need to be away from each other for a while." With that, she turned and walked back up to the castle.

He looked down, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and kicked the dirt. "Come on, Malfoy. What's going on with you?" He turned around and looked out at the lake. "Maybe I do like her. But what if it's not the same as how she feels?" He sighed. " I know what I need to do. Now I just need to convince myself to do it."

000

After dinner, Draco and Ariella sat at one of the small tables in the library. While Draco had three books that he was taking notes from, Ariella had just one large book. The book had a purple cover that was severely cracked from age. There were a couple notes made in the margins and the pages had turned a yellowish brown colour.

She wrote down a couple more notes and closed the book, smiling. "Done."

Draco looked up at her. "You want one of my books?" He started to pass her one of his, but she shook her head.

"I have all the information I need." He gave her a look of disbelief. "Seriously. This book has everything I need to know about any potion or ingredient you can think of."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "How is that even possible?"

She passed it over to him. "It's _The Master's Guide to Potions._ It gives you all the basic and important information about whatever you're looking up, and leaves out all the useless background information. My father wrote it."

He looked over at her and then back at the book. As he flipped through the pages, his eyes widened. "Wow. I've never even heard of half of the stuff in here. I think Snape could even learn a thing or two from this book."

She chuckled. "Snape is nothing compared to my dad. He always excelled in potions as a kid. He was even the potions master at Durmstrang for several years."

He glanced back up at her. "So do you have his love of potions?"

She shrugged. "Kind of. I like potions and I'm definitely good at it, but I don't have the same passion as he did. When I was younger, he started teaching me potions early and by the time I got to school, I was well ahead the rest of my year."

His eyes widened. "Wow. I guess that made school a bit easier for you."

She shrugged again. "Not really. I still had to keep studying and learning more potions, even though I wasn't being tested on them. And I was expected to get an O on all of my assignments and exams for that class. I got an E on one of my essays in my third year. It was about the polyjuice potion. Anyway, when my dad found out, he made me study and practice the potion until I got it perfectly. It was really frustrating sometimes."

"Ouch. I see why you never developed a passion for it. I think if I had to be a perfectionist when it came to potions, I wouldn't enjoy the subject as much as I do."

She nodded. "However, I do enjoy Arithmancy. I've always been gifted when it came to numbers." Draco made a disgusted face, which caused her to laugh. "I know. I'm not normal. But then again, if I was, I'd've been put into Gryffindor."

Draco smirked. "Well that would never do. If you were in Gryffindor, I would've never known what it's like to have you by my side." With that, he reached over and patted her hand.

She looked down and pulled her hand away, feeling uncomfortable. "Draco…don't start."

He scooted his chair closer to hers. "Ariella, I don't mean to upset you. I know what you're wanting from me, but I'm not sure I can give you that."

She shook her head. "It's fine. I don't expect you to be able to. Just please, stop teasing me like this. All it does is make it harder to get over you."

He looked down at her hands and took them in both of his. He returned his gaze to her and continued speaking. "Ariella. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. And I'm sorry for being selfish, but I have to know if I'm capable of returning your feelings."

As Ariella opened her mouth to respond, she was cut off by Draco lips crashing into hers. She started to pull back, but found herself unable to pull away. Slowly, she eased into the kiss; however, as she relaxed, her emotions took over and she began to cry. When they pulled away, she snuggled against his chest, letting her tears fall freely. Draco was silent and didn't move. She didn't care. All she wanted was time to unleash the tears she had built up.


	8. Chapter 8: Comfort and Happiness

**A/N: Another quick update! :] Though this chapter is a bit short, I'm content with it. However, I do have something to say to my readers. Even though I see the number of hits and subscriptions and alerts, nothing compares to getting a couple reviews. I hate to have to beg, but without feedback, I have no idea if my story is good, bad, or even something worth writing. Reviews really are important to me, and without them, I can't help but think there's no reason to keep stressing about writing it simply for myself. So, if reviews don't come in, updates will likely slow down and I'll focus on my other works. Anywho, as for this chapter, let's just say, things heat up for our main character. ;D Enjoy and Review!  
**

When Ariella finally felt that she'd cried long enough, she pulled away, wiped her eyes, and looked up at Draco. His face was stoic. He sat there, silent, for minutes. After a while, she began to feel uncomfortable.

She bit her lip nervously. "Draco? Are you okay?" He was silent. She looked down her hands and pulled them out of his. "You don't have to pretend for me. I understand if you don't share my feelings." She looked up at his unemotional face. "I guess I'll just leave then." She started to pack away her book and parchment, when someone grabbed her.

It was Draco. "Ariella. Don't go." He cleared his throat before continuing. "That kiss…I felt something from it. I don't know what it was, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I'm just worried."

She rested her hand on his, trying to provide some kind of comfort for him. "What are you worried about?"

He tugged at his collar nervously. "Honestly? My father. If he knew I was with a Weasley, well…I don't even want to think about what would happen."

She frowned at him, lifting her hand to stroke his cheek. "Draco. Do what makes _you_ happy. If he can't accept what makes you happy, then he doesn't deserve to be your father."

He sighed. "I understand what you're saying, but I think I need some time to think." She nodded at him and he stood up to leave. He was only a few feet from the door, when she called out to him.

"Wait." She stood up and went over to him. She smiled up at him, taking his hand in hers. "I'll go with you."

He looked down at their hands and then smiled up at her. "Then let's get going."

000

The next few days passes by slowly. While they still ate meals together, she and Draco had all but stopped being around each other. They still hung around with Crabbe and Goyle. They still went to quidditch practices together. They even still sat together during classes. But they hadn't spoken since that night in the library. The silence was starting to take a toll on Ariella. She felt guilty for the way he was feeling.

She sighed sadly, as she stared out at the Black Lake. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't've pressured him, we would still be talking and having fun like we used to. Not ignoring each other." She then laid her head down on her knees and closed her eyes. "I wish things could go back to normal."

"Ariella?"

Her eyes snapped open and looked back over her shoulder at the tall blonde smiling at her. "Draco."

He walked forward and sat down beside her. "Sorry I've been so quiet lately."

She shook her head. "Don't be. I was just as quiet."

He looked out at the lake, sighing. "I did some thinking. And you're right. I should do what makes me happy and quit worrying about everyone else."

She flashed him a half smile. "Well that's good. Did you make your decision?"

He looked over at her. "I did." He reached over and put his hand on top of hers. "I'm still not sure if it's right, but I'd like to give us a chance. I mean, it may not last, but I don't want to go on wondering what could have been."

She smiled from ear to ear. "Really, Draco? You want to give _us _a chance?" When he nodded, she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you!"

He smiled, hugging her back. "Thank you, Ariella. For making me see that I should make my own decisions and stop letting other people control me."

She pulled back, still smiling. She stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead. "You're welcome." She stared into his silver eyes and could feel them searing into her soul. Giving into her urges, she leaned in and kisses him. The kiss was rough and full of need. She blushed when his tongue brushed over her bottom lip, begging for entrance. When she opened her mouth, their tongues met and danced around together. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer. When they pulled away, they were both out of breath.

He pressed his forehead to hers and gazed into her emerald green eyes. "Wow." He chuckled when he saw the blush coming up on her cheeks. "You look so beautiful when you blush." That made her blush even more, which caused him to laugh more. He stood up and held his hand out for her. "Come on. It's almost time for dinner."

She smiled, took his hand, and pulled him back down on top of her. His eyes widened at the suggestive look she was giving him. "Lets not leave just yet."

He smirked and leaned in to kiss her. His lips started at hers, then traveled to across her cheekbones, to her earlobes, down her neck, and stopped at her collarbone. He sucked on that spot and occasionally nibbled until it spawned a hickey. He left another trail of kisses all the back up to her lips, of which he began to kiss passionately. He could feel her squeezing his biceps and then running her nails down to his abs. Their hearts were racing and their breathing was irregular. Despite what his body wanted, he pulled back for much needed air.

He looked down at her, still trying to catch his breath. "Ariella. We should really go inside before this gets out of hand." When she nodded, he stood up, pulling her up with him. They dusted themselves off before joining hands and making that slow and torturous climb back to the castle.

When they entered the Great Hall, many eyes were staring back at them. It was almost as if they'd all witnessed the heated scene that had taken place only moments ago. Ariella blushed as Draco tugged her along to the Slytherin table. When they got there, Crabbe, Goyle, Montague, and Pucey were all huddled together. As they sat down, the group of four made room for them.

She looked around the group, her eyes stopping on Montague. "What's going on?"

Montague looked up at her. "We were discussing when our first practice should be. We need to make sure you can blend in with the rest of the team."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Blend in?"

He nodded. "This team has a certain way of doing things and we need to make sure you can fit into this mold."

"So what…make me just like Draco? Wouldn't it be best for me to have my own style? That way, the other team will have no idea what to expect."

Pucey piped up. "That actually sounds like a good idea, Montague."

Montague narrowed his eyes. "We'll see at practice." He took a drink of his pumpkin juice before continuing. "We need to have practice soon. The earlier we start, the easier it'll be for her to adapt to our playing style."

She rolled her eyes. "Or the easier it'll be for you all to adapt to my playing style."

Montague glared at her. "You're the one who'll be adapting. Trust me."

She scoffed, but didn't say another word. She simply sat and ate her dinner while the boys discussed the upcoming practices.

000

As Ariella sat in the common room, working on her number chart for Arithmancy, she suddenly had hands covering her eyes. She smelt his cologne and smiled. "Can I help you, Draco?"

He moved his hands, bent over, and kissed her on the cheek. He sat down at the desk beside her. "What're you working on?"

She sat back, looking up at him. "A number chart for Arithmancy."

He scrunched up him face. "I don't know why you like that class."

She giggled. "So what should I expect at practice this weekend?"

He tugged at his collar uncomfortably. "Well, to be honest? A lot of plays based on brawn and tricks."

She folded her arms across her chest and gave him a scolding look. "So Slytherin is a bunch of cheaters?" She shook her head when he shrugged guiltily. "My mum would have a fit if she knew Slytherin had lost the skills she'd taught them."

He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"When she joined the team, it was the exact same. All brawn and no actual skill. And half of their plays involved some kind of tricks and cheating. But she was taught to play fair so the game would actually be based on skill, no who can kick the other team off their brooms fastest." she rolled her eyes, "The team actually ended up scoring more points than before and were actually a respectable team for once."

He nodded. "I'm up for the training, but you'll have to convince Montague. Ever since he became captain, everything has to go his way."

"Gee, sounds like someone else I know." She nudged him with her elbow, giggling.

He smirked. "All I'm saying is it'll be hard to convince him to change his training style. Especially since we only have a month until the first game."

She shrugged. "I can be quite convincing, or did you already forget tryouts?"

He chuckled. "You know, just because you're a Slytherin doesn't mean you can go around attacking people to get what you want."

"I know." She giggled and patted his knee. "I got you without violence, didn't I?"

He smirked, leaned over, and kissed her gently. She put her hand on the back of his neck, deepening their kiss, and started to nibble on his bottom lip. When they pulled away, she felt her cheeks become hot.

He smiled over at her. "You finish your number chart. I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Ariella."

She returned his smile. "Goodnight, Draco." As he stood up and went to the boy's dormitory, she returned to her number chart with a permanent smile etched on her face. It was strange how comfortable she felt with him. It was as if they'd known each other for years. Since her family's murder, she finally felt happy again.


	9. Chapter 9: Practice, Practice, Practice

**A/N:**

Ariella was grinning from ear to ear as she and Draco made their way to the Slytherin looker rooms. Today was their first day of quidditch practice and the weather was perfect. The warm sun was shining, there was a light breeze, and there were very few clouds in the sky. When they walked inside, she noticed there was only one locker room for Slytherin.

She gave Draco a curious glance. "Where's the girls' room?"

He rolled his eyes. "About fifteen years ago they converted it to a storage room. I mean, why have a room that's only been used by one other girl?"

She sighed. "Then I guess I'm dressing in here." she said as she pushed open the door to the boys' locker room. Inside, it was noisy and most of the other players were putting on protective padding.

At that moment, Pucey, who had just pulled his sweater over his head, stopped and stared at her, which caused the rest of the team to stare at her. "I don't think you're supposed to be in here."

"Well, unless they decide to convert the storage room back to the girls' locker room, I have nowhere to get dressed. So, technically I have to be in here."

Montague stood up. "Lets not start this now. Practice should've started ten minutes ago. Now hurry up and get changed so we can begin." He picked up his broom and left the locker room.

As the rest of the team finished up, Draco and Ariella walked over to a pair of lockers close to the showers. Since she'd worn her sweater down here, all she had to do was change her pants, her boots, and put on her protective padding and robe. As she slid off her jeans, she could see Draco watching her carefully. She smirked and pulled on her tan pants and then her boots. While she started to put on her knee pads and padded gloves, Draco finally started undressing and putting on his uniform as well. When she had her complete uniform on, she grabbed her broom and headed out to the pitch, where the rest of the team waited. Shortly after, Draco came rushing out of the locker room, and Montague stepped forward to address the team.

"Okay. We have a month until the first game against Gryffindor and that means we need to practice twice as hard to get Ariella ready."

She growled. "Will you quit acting as if I've never played quidditch before? I know what I'm doing."

He sighed angrily. "And I keep telling you that your playing style is nothing at all like ours."

"You think so? Well then how about you get on your brooms and show me this _Slytherin style_." She walked over to the box which held the game balls in it and picked up the Quaffle. She then released one of the Bludgers and turned back to Montague. "I want everyone in their positions. Draco and I will be the opposing team and I want you to play like you normally would."

Everyone looked around nervously, but quickly followed Montague when he got on his broom and flew up. Ariella and Draco did the same.

Draco nudged her with his elbow. "Ariella, I really don't think this is a good idea."

Ignoring him, she flew forward, holding the Quaffle by her side. The first person she approached was Pucey. By the look in his eyes, she knew he would try to tackle her to steal the Quaffle. She kept flying forward, directly at him, and darted downward when they were within reach of each other. Unaffected, he turned and chased her toward the other two Chasers, Montague and Warrington. She looked around and noticed Draco was still flying in line with her. With few options left, she tucked her head down, pushing her left shoulder forward, preparing herself for the collision. Her shoulder hit Warrington's as she passed through them. Surprised, she looked back and saw the three of them chasing her. Beside her, Draco flew and glanced over at her every so often. She needed to create a distraction to shake the three Chasers and the Keeper, Bletchley. She sat up, still flying forward, and heaved the ball over to Draco. After barely catching it, he tucked it under his arm and flew toward the goal hoops. Now that the Chasers were trailing him, Ariella pressed forward, trying to get ahead of him. Positioned in front of the far left hoop, she raised her palm, signaling for Draco to throw the Quaffle back to her. Understanding, he heaved it back at her. She caught the Quaffle and passed it around behind her back as she picked her goal. Bletchley was fixed between the left hoop and middle hoop. Making her choice, she took aim and threw the Quaffle at the far right hoop. Thrown off by her aim, Bletchley failed to keep it from going in.

Defeated, the rest of the team sank to the ground, while a proud Ariella floated down, cheering. When she landed, she folded her arms across her chest, smirking at Montague.

He scowled. "Fine. You win."

Pucey ran over to her and threw his arm around her shoulders. "You're not a bad Chaser, Weasley. Is there anything you can't do?"

She chuckled. "Actually, I'm not all that good of a Beater." She blushed, embarrassed. "I've been afraid of the Bludgers since I was young."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

She bit her lip. "One day during practice, a rogue Bludger attacked me. It ended up breaking my arm before my mum could destroy it. We never figured out who did it, but I've been scared of them ever since." She frowned at the ground.

Pucey squeezed her arm. "Don't worry. Crabbe and Goyle will keep those nasty Bludgers away from you."

She laughed and looked around at the team. They were all either chuckling or half smiling at her. Finally, she felt as if she was part of the team. "Okay! Lets start practicing while we still have the pitch." They all nodded and flew up to officially begin their practice.

000

After practice, the seven team members made their way to the locker rooms. As they walked, Montague praised them each for their hard work and scolded some for messing up the plays. Inside, they all went to their separate lockers. As Ariella and Draco opened their lockers, Pucey came over to them and coughed loudly.

Ariella looked over her shoulder at him. "Something wrong?"

"Well, we'd all like to shower up before we head back to the castle."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay?" she motioned her arms toward the showers, "They're right there."

He rolled his eyes. "I meant that as a sign for you to leave."

She scoffed. "What are we? A bunch of five year-olds?" she shook her head. "Fine. I'll go sit over there so I can't see the shy little boys take a shower." With that, she grabbed the hair brush out of her locker and walked over to the other side of the locker room, away from the showers. Draco followed her.

As she sat down, she took her ribbon out of her hair and started brushing it. She looked up at the blonde, who was leaning up against the wall. "Aren't you going to go shower too?"

He smirked. "I'm not too shy to shower in front of you." he then sat down beside her. "Don't be mad. I'm sure they'll get over it after a couple practices. It's just weird for them to have a girl in here."

She sighed and continued to brush her long red hair. Once her hair was tangle free, she began to take off her robe, padding, and boots. Draco followed suit, but removed his shirt as well. Once the other five players were done showering, Ariella and Draco returned to their lockers and proceeded to get ready to shower themselves.

The showers were off to the side, with tall walls surrounding them. There was a large break in the front that provided as a doorway. There were five open showers in the room. She hung her towels up on the hooks by the door and went over to the shower on the left side of the room. When she turned on the water, she sighed in relief as the hot water ran down body, easing her aching muscles and washing away the sweat and dirt from practice. When she reached over for her shampoo, it was missing. She looked beside her and saw Draco standing there holding her shampoo bottle in his hand. Instead of handing it to her, her stepped behind her and began to massage the shampoo into her hair. She shut her eyes, smiling; the feeling of his strong, narrow fingers combing through her hair and massaging her scalp was relaxing.

When his hands left her hair, she turned around and began to rinse her hair thoroughly. Her hair now clean and free of suds, she moved so the water was hitting her back and smiled at Draco. His pale skin glistened from the water that had sprayed him. His eyes were dark with hunger. He was smiling suggestively back at her. She reached out and rubbed her hands across his shoulders. As she slid her hands down his chest, her fingers curled so her nails gently scratched against his toned muscles. When she reached his hips, she pulled him close to her, smirking before she planted her lips onto his. She felt his arms wrap around her as his hands traveled hurriedly up and down her back. When he moved to kiss and nibble on her neck, she bit her bottom lip, trying to muffle the moans wanting to escape. He moved his hands down and stopped under her bum. In one quick movement, he picked her up and pressed her back up against the cold stone wall. She let out a couple quiet moans and wrapped her legs around his waist. When she felt his tip nudging at her entrance, she bit her bottom lip.

He traced the tip of his tongue up her neck once more before he lifted his head up to gaze into her eyes. They stayed silent for moment, trying to tell if the team had left. There were a couple faint voices, the sound of the door slamming shut, and then nothing. He looked down twice and then stared at her, asking for her permission to enter. She smirked, nodded, and braced herself. He slid her down onto him slowly, allowing her body to adjust to the new feeling. She winced slightly and breathed in sharply. When the pain died down, she nodded for him to continue. Understanding, he pulled out and thrust into her repeatedly. At first, his movements were slow and gentle. The slow pace was agonizing. She scratched her nails across his shoulders and nibbled on his ear lobe. He sped up his pace, thrusting into her harder, and deeper. When she felt him deep inside her, a loud moan escaped her lips. The feel of his manhood pumping in and out of her made her walls clench tightly around him. As their breathing became irregular and her moans became louder and more frequent, she could tell they would both reach their ends soon. She dug her nails into his shoulders and screamed his name when she came. It wasn't long until Draco released his own seed deep inside her.

She panted and laid her head on his shoulder. She couldn't help asking the question that was on her mind. "Draco…where did that come from? I mean, what just happened?"

He chuckled. "I believe they call it love making."

She leaned back and rolled her eyes at him. "That's not what I meant."

He smirked. "Honestly? I've no idea. Something about watching you play today turned me on. You're…_irresistible_."

She grinned and slithered her way out of his arms and back under the water, which was starting to cool. "Well, now that I'm all sweaty again, I'm going to quickly scrub off, and maybe we can continue this in the common room." She gave him a suggestive wink before finishing her shower. He too turned on the next closest shower and showered himself quickly.


	10. Chapter 10: Slytherin Royalty

**A/N: Hello to anyone that's still reading this! Finally to chapter 10! Why the 3 month disappearance? Well, I kinda gave up writing anything (even my book) due to moving around between houses and trying for a promotion at work. But I decided the other day that I need to keep writing so I can practice my skills everyday. AND so my book doesn't take me 20 years to finish. :P Anyway, to anyone who's still interested in this story, I hope you enjoy the update!**

_Dear diary,_

_Remember that boy Draco I've been mentioning? Well, last week after practice, things got a little hot and heavy between us, if you know what I mean. It really took me by surprise, but was amazing. A little painful, but I had expected as much. Anyway, things have going great for me. I've got the Quidditch team doing extensive training to improve their skills back to the way mum left them. It was kind of sad how the team had gone back to their usual ways of cheating and trickery. On a lighter note, I'm finally being accepted as a Slytherin. Although, I guess when you're with the Prince, people really have no choice but to accept you._

…_..._

Ariella sighed as she looked around at the empty common room. Most of the school's population was enjoying the crisp autumn weather outside. She'd had the same idea; however, Draco had yet to leave the boy's dormitory. Suddenly, a wicked idea popped into her head. She smirked, closed her diary and stuffed it into her bag, which was sitting on the couch beside her. As she stood up from her seat, she glanced around to ensure she was absolutely alone, before darting to the boy's dormitory. Once inside, she glanced around, looking for his beautiful blonde hair. She found him and proceeded to tip-toe quietly over to his bed.

…

Draco lay in bed, only half asleep. He knew it was late in the day and that he should've gotten up hours ago, but he'd been busy day dreaming all morning. He could see them playing the first match against Gryffindor and easily winning. He would hold her in his arms and congratulate her on catching the Snitch with ease. He'd kiss her red hair before kissing her pale pink lips. They would all return to the common room for a celebration, where they would sit together on one of the oversized chairs, with her on his lap. He smiled, as he could feel her weight on his lap. He'd known his imagination was accurate, but not this accurate. He then heard her giggle softly. Strange…that wasn't in his dream. He fluttered his eyes open and was shocked to see her emerald eyes staring back at him.

She giggled once more before smiling brightly down at him. "Good morning, Draco."

He half smiled back at her. "Um, good morning?" He sat up, as she had slid herself down to sit on his legs, and looked around at all the empty beds. "Not that I mind, but how did you get in here?"

She shrugged and smiled at him. "Everyone's gone so no one saw me come in here."

His eyes widened at that. "Everyone's gone?" He groaned. "How late did I sleep in anyway?"

She giggled. "It's almost noon." She giggled again when he groaned loudly. "Don't worry. You deserve to sleep in a little."

He smirked at her. " 'A little' doesn't mean until noon. 'A little' is more like nine or ten."

She shrugged and finally climbed off of him to sit on the edge of his bed. "So what were you dreaming about that made you so happy?"

He shrugged. "Oh you know, Quidditch, beating Gryffindor, a certain redheaded female who woke me up this morning. Same old, same old." He smirked when he saw her cheeks turn bright pink and leaned up to kiss the cheek facing him. As he sat back, he saw something black on his arm. He looked down and frowned at the prominent Dark Mark that was there before hiding it under his blanket. He then looked back up at her and cleared his throat before speaking again. "Ariella? Do you think I could ask you something?"

She looked over at him, sensing a bit of seriousness in his tone, and nodded.

He took a deep breath. "What would you do if you happened to meet a Death Eater?"

She raised an eyebrow at his question and looked at the floor, deep in thought. Finally, she looked back up, still looking unsure. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, I'm sure I'd be angry deep down, but I'd like to think I wouldn't automatically hate them because of what Voldemort did. I've always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt before I judge them. But unless I actually met one, I can't say exactly how I would react." She then looked over at him. "You were asking about a random person, right? No one in specific?"

He nodded, trying to hide his nervousness. "Yeah." He bit his lip, a knew question entering his mind, "What if someone you knew was a Death Eater?"

Her eyes widened before she returned her gaze to the floor. "Someone I knew?" She looked up. "I don't know. Deep down, I think I'd feel a little betrayed. I mean, for them to be a part of the group that killed my family and not confront me about it, it'd almost feel like a stab in the back. I trust almost all of the people I know, so for them to break that trust would be awful." She took a deep breath, feeling her chest become heavy. She then looked back at Draco. "Why are you asking me all of this?"

He swallowed hard. "Just…curious. I mean, I was just wondering how you felt about all of it."

She nodded, then smiled at him. "Well, in all honesty, I can't be one-hundred percent positive about what I'd do in those situations, but that's how I'd like to think I'd react. In reality it might be totally different, but I'd hope my anger wouldn't influence the way I feel about someone." She blushed a little and scooted closer to him. "I was that way with you too."

He tilted his head sideways, confused. "What do you mean?"

She giggled. "Well, when I first saw you, I was in that boutique with Aunt Molly and Ron. I'll be honest, when you insulted him, I was ready to punch you. But when we went home, I asked Ron about you and he told me about how you'd been bullying them since first year. Actually, everyone told me about you. But I had a feeling you had a soft side underneath your cruel exterior, so I wanted to give you a chance before I simply shunned you away."

Surprised, his eyes widened so much that he was sure they might fall out of his head. He thought back to that day in the boutique and finally noticed her. Before, he'd only seen Weasley, ignoring everything else. But now, he could remember seeing her fists shaking at her sides as he insulted her cousin. "Even after seeing how I acted in that boutique and having several people tell you I was no good, you still thought it was all a façade? Not to be rude or anything, but how?"

She giggled. "Call it being naïve, but I thought you might be like this girl I knew at Beauxbatons. She was the same way until I gave her a chance."

He smiled at her. "So all this time I thought I was reaching out for you, and yet, you've been the one reaching out to me."

She grinned sheepishly. "Actually, none of this would've even happened if I didn't think you were so handsome, so thank your good looks for all of this." She chuckled slightly at her own statement. When Draco started to laugh as well, her chuckle increased to a full laugh. They just laughed for a few moments before she crawled up and cuddled beside him.

He smiled lovingly down at her before kissing the top of her head. They stayed like that for several minutes before their silence was disturbed by Draco's growling stomach. Ariella giggled up at him when she saw him blush lightly. She sat up and kissed his cheek. "Okay. You get up and get dressed. I'll be waiting for you in the common room." She got up, walked over to the door, and turned back around at him. "Be quick, my prince."

He smirked at the nickname. "Of course, princess."


	11. Chapter 11: Nighttime Flight

**A/N: Hooray for inspiration! Ever since I got into Pottermore, I've been inspired to write more of my HP fan fictions. So I'm going to milk it for all it's worth. :P Anyway, onto Chapter 11: here we'll see a special moment for Ariella and Draco. Whether it's a good or bad moment, you'll have to wait and read for yourself. But this scene has always been an important one for Ariella's story, so I loved writing it. And I hope you all enjoy it!**

It was late in the evening, just after dinner, and Ariella and Draco were making their way back to the common room. It was silent between them, but it was a comfortable silence. As they walked hand in hand, Ariella could feel her heart beating loudly. She wasn't sure why, but she also felt the sides of her neck heat up. It was then she realized what was happening: she was craving him! She looked around for anyone who might notice them before quickly ducking them into an empty classroom.

As soon as they were alone, she threw herself at him, attacking his mouth with her own. She felt her heart beat faster and her neck became hotter. The surprised Draco quickly eased into her movements and soon they were moving in time with each other. Their tongues explored each other's mouths while their hands did their own exploring. But it wasn't enough; her neck was begging to be touched. She brought her left hand up and started forcing his mouth down to her neck. When he reached it, he began leaving kisses and love bites all over it. She heard herself moan louder and louder as he bit harder and harder. Not wanting to get caught by a wandering student or teacher, she forced her moans to become quiet whimpers as he quickly took her for the sake of their own relief.

Afterwards, Ariella lay there panting while she held Draco's head as he lay on top of her. His head was placed directly over her heart so she figured he could hear it beating a hundred miles per minute. Once they had caught their breaths, Draco picked himself up to smiled down at her.

"I hope you take charge like that more often because it definitely turned me on." He then leaned down to nibble on her earlobe, making her giggle.

"I'll have to keep that in mind for later." She then pushed him up gently. "While I'd love to lay here all night with you, we really need to hurry up and get to the common room before someone catches us."

He smirked at her and nodded. As he stood up, he pulled her up with him. Quickly, they dressed and fixed their hair before leaving the classroom and running the rest of the way back to the common room.

Once inside, they fell down onto two of the adjacent couches, laughing hysterically. The handful of students still in the common room stared quizzically at them, but didn't dare question their odd behaviour. After a minute, their laughter died and they simply lay there smiling across at each other. When Ariella yawned, Draco smirked and stood up from his seat.

Ariella followed suit. "Bedtime?" she asked, using a cute, childish voice.

He smiled at her, laughing mentally, and nodded. He took her hand in his own, kissed the back of it, and then departed, being careful to slide his hand out of hers just right.

As he walked away from her, she glanced down at the hand he had kissed, which now held a folded up piece of parchment. She looked around the room before tucking the note into her bra. With that, she made her way to the girls' dormitory, planning to read the note once she was safe in her bed.

Inside, she walked over to her trunk, changed from her school uniform to a pair of green plaid sleep shorts and a white tank top. Before climbing into bed, she brushed her hair until it was free of tangles. Now snug under her warm, green bed sheets, she pulled the note out of her bra and opened it:

_Meet me out on the grounds after midnight._

_-Draco_

Her eyes widened. He wanted her to sneak out of the castle? In the middle of the night? She shook her head and sighed. _"This better be good, Draco,"_ she thought to herself before laying down and beginning her long wait for midnight.

000

As Ariella lay in bed listening to the school's clock chime twelve times, she yawned for possibly the fiftieth time that night. Quietly, she got out of her bed and went over to her trunk to put on a pair of black yoga pants, a black cotton jacket, and her sneakers. Now fully dressed, she tip-toed her way out to the common room, where she stopped to think about what course she should take. Finally deciding to take the fastest route with the most hiding spots, she left the common room.

As she walked through the corridors, she could hear the voices and footsteps of nearby prefects or teachers. Before she turned each corner, she would listen carefully and peak around to see if there were any authority figures blocking her path. Luckily, she managed not to run into anyone as she made her way to the grounds.

Outside, it was a bit chilly and Ariella was glad she'd worn her jacket. She looked around, trying to find any sign of Draco. The darkness made it difficult for her to see, but not impossible. Within ten minutes she saw the tall blonde standing in the dark with…his broom? Once she was close to him, she could see him smiling excitedly at her. She returned his smile.

"I'm glad you decided to meet me, Ariella. I was worried you might not come."

She shook her head. "Of course not. I would never stand you up like that. Even if I had chose not to come, I would've snuck into the boys room to tell you."

He chuckled. "Well then, let's get to the reason I asked you to meet me." He got on his broom and patted the empty space behind him. "Come on. I have a surprise for you."

She looked nervously at the broom, but climbed on , smiling. As soon as she was secure, Draco kicked off the ground and flew them high up toward the sky. She tightened her grip around his waist when she saw that they were well over the castle.

He reached around to pat her thigh. "Ariella. Look up."

She had been laying her head against his back, so she sat up and tilted her head back to look up at the night sky. Her eyes widened and her smile grew bigger. She could see every single star as they twinkled down at her. They seemed to look bigger and brighter than ever before. Unconsciously, she reached up with her left hand, as if she thought she could touch them. Once she realized what she was doing, she pulled her hand back down and laughed at herself.

She snuggled back up to Draco, wrapping her arms around his waist again. "Thank you, Draco. It's beautiful up here. I've always wanted to go night flying, but my mum would never let me."

He smiled as he stared ahead, circling around to their next destination. "I'm glad you liked it, Ariella, but why wouldn't your mum let you go night flying?"

She shrugged. "She always said I might hurt myself or get lost because it's so dark and I wouldn't be able to see, but I never believed her."

"Well, why didn't you just sneak out and do it anyway?"

She giggled. "Trust me, I used to sneak out a lot at home. Never to go flying, though. All of the bedrooms in our house were on the first floor so being in the air would give me a better chance of getting caught. Besides, I loved sneaking out to just watch the stars and the moon."

He smiled again. "Yeah. I used to go out on my balcony to watch the stars at my house."

She sat up and stared at the back of his head. "You have a balcony off your room?" She saw him nod and giggled. "Aren't you lucky? The only room with a balcony at our house was my parents'."

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "That's the way my parents had the house built."

Before he could respond, he noticed they were almost at the astronomy tower. He easily flew them down to land on the observation deck. Once they had landed, he continued their conversation. "They had your house built? Couldn't they just buy one?"

She giggled. "They tried, but houses equipped with their own library, quidditch room, and laboratory were scarce that year," there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, which made him chuckle, "Besides, that way they got exactly what they wanted and then some."

He nodded and then thought back to something she had said earlier. "Just how big was your house anyway? I mean, earlier you said that all the bedrooms were on the first floor. Exactly how many bedrooms were there?"

She blushed slightly. "Seven, and each room had their own bathroom."

His eyes snapped open. "Seven? Why on Earth would you need seven rooms for four people?"

She giggled and shrugged again. "I think my parents were expecting to have either more children or more people visiting us. I mean, we had four guest rooms that were maybe slept in once or twice. But they made excellent playrooms for Starla and I. My mum had each room designed to portray one of the four houses at Hogwarts. You can take a guess as which room was my favourite." She nudged him with her elbow and giggled.

He smirked. "Hmm…the Gryffindor one?" When he saw the disgusted look on her face, he couldn't help but laugh. He reached over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her. When he pulled away, he gazed down at her with half-lidded eyes. "I love you."

Her face was glowing when she heard what he said. She smiled brightly and snuggled herself against him. "I love you, too."

At that moment, every muscle in Draco's body relaxed from having that weight taken off his shoulders. He then remembered the main purpose from bringing her out here and pulled them apart. He smiled down at her and reached into his pocket. "Ariella, even in our short time together, I've felt happier and more loved than I have my entire life. And for that, I'd like to say thank you. And I want you to have this as a symbol of how important you are to me." He pulled out a tiny box covered in green velvet and opened it to reveal a ring. But it wasn't any ordinary ring; the ring he presented to her looked like a little silver snake and had a single emerald on the top of it's head.

Ariella gasped, covering her mouth with one hand while the other went to remove the ring from it's box. She admired it for a few moments before placing it on her left ring finger.

Draco smiled down at her hand, also admiring how well it suited her. "It's kind of like a Malfoy family heirloom. My father bought it as a promise ring for my mother when they were in school, and she gave it to me last year to give to the person I fell in love with."

She smiled up at him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him tenderly. When they pulled away, she rested her head against his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. "It's a beautiful gift, Draco. Thank you."

He smiled and stroked her long red hair against her back. "You know, I want that to be your promise ring. It doesn't have to happen anytime soon, but I know I want to keep you a part of my life."

She pulled back to look up at him. "I feel the same way, Draco. I can't imagine not having you in my life." She then looked down at the ring resting on her finger. "So, promise ring then?" When she looked up at him, he nodded and smiled.

They held each other for a few minutes before Ariella's yawning disturbed the silence between them. He smirked at her and grabbed his broom. "Come on. Let's get you back to bed. I've kept you up late enough."

She giggled and smiled at him as she climbed on the broom behind him. As they flew off back toward the ground, she could feel her heart beating rapidly, but knew it was a good thing. She was too happy at that moment to feel anything negative.

**A/N: Aww. :'] Anyway, for anyone who's interested, I have posted a picture of Ariella's ring on my profile. And don't forget to review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Snakes and Lions

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm really loving this newfound inspiration and my newest reviewer, Nicky-Maree, whose reviews really made me want to get this chapter out today. :] In this chapter, we get to see our favourite Weasley in the first Quidditch match of the season! ;P I tried to make the game sequence exciting, but I also didn't want to drag it out. I think I made a good balance, so I hope you all enjoy it as well!**

When Ariella woke up on this particular morning, there was a fire burning in her eyes. Today was the first Quidditch match of the season: Slytherin versus Gryffindor. After climbing out of bed, she walked over to a nearby window and stared out at the Quidditch Pitch. This would be her first real game of Quidditch and, despite the fact that she would be facing Ron after two months of silence, she was confident and ready. She quickly went over to her trunk and began changing into her Quidditch uniform, minus her padding. After she brushed her hair, she tied it back with her ribbon, and left the room.

In the common room, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were lounging on one of the couches, also dressed in their uniforms. When she walked over, they all stood up and greeted her with a smirk.

Draco was the first to speak. "Ready to go kill some lions?"

She couldn't suppress her giggle. Quickly regaining her composure, she nodded. "Might as well start our winning streak properly."

Draco smirked and rubbed the top of her head, messing up her hair. "That's my girl." With that, the three boys turned to leave the common room.

Ariella growled as she fixed her hair, but eventually took off after them.

As soon as the four of them entered the Great Hall, their ears were bombarded by students yelling, cheering, and even some were booing. Ignoring the loud clamoring, they all walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down with the rest of the team.

As soon as she sat down, she noticed Montague was scowling over at Pucey, who had a sick look on his face and was holding his stomach. She frowned at the sick boy beside her and put her hand on his back, trying to comfort him. "What's wrong, Adrian?"

Montague answered for him. "He says he got food poisoning from some chocolates he found in the common room last night." He sighed angrily as he returned to his breakfast plate.

Ariella narrowed her eyes at Montague, but quickly returned her attention back to Pucey. "I think I remember seeing a potion to cure this in my father's book, but I don't have enough time to make it now. Do you think you can still play?"

Pucey looked up at her and shook his head. "I don't know." Instantly, he jumped up and ran out of the Great Hall, covering his mouth with his hands.

Ariella turned her attention back to Montague. "Okay. This is what we'll do. Draco can take my position and I'll cover for Adrian." She saw Montague get ready to retaliate and narrowed her eyes at him. "There's no way he can play like that! So either we go with my plan or we'll have to forfeit. Which do you want?"

Draco chimed in. "But you haven't been training to be a Chaser. Are you sure you'll be able to keep up?"

She nodded. "As long as everyone plays the way I taught them, I can manage." Then she turned to look at the blonde beside her. "Don't forget to concentrate, Draco. Concentrate and listen." When he nodded, she smiled.

Montague stared at them, confused, but didn't question what she meant. "Right. Well, everyone hurry up and eat. We need every second to go over plays with Ariella."

The team nodded at their captain and started eating as fast as humanly possible.

000

As Ariella floated there in formation, waiting for Madam Hooch to start the game, she looked around at the stands full of students and teachers. All of them were cheering for their favourite team. She heard an even mixture of "Go, go, Gryffindor!" and "Sly-ther-in!". She glanced up at Draco floating above her and smiled when she saw his eyes closed in concentration. As soon as she brought her attention back to Madam Hooch, the whistle blew and the Quaffle was tossed into play.

Ariella charged, but Cassius Warrington beat her to the Quaffle and took off toward the hoops. She flew in line with him, watching him incase he passed the Quaffle to her. Montague was flying just behind them, trying to keep the Gryffindor Chasers away from Warrington, but failed. The closer he got to the hoops, the closer Katie Bell came to tackling him. Seeing the enemy Chaser preparing to tackle, Ariella called out to him, signaling him to pass her the Quaffle. Reluctantly, he heaved the Quaffle at her just before Katie tackled. Ariella reached up and tucked the Quaffle into her side once she caught it. She pressed forward, careful to dodge an incoming Bludger, and found herself approaching the goal hoops quickly. She could see the glare on Ron's face as he watched her every move. She returned his glare and charged the middle hoop. When she was close enough, she sat up, aimed, and heaved the Quaffle at the middle hoop. As the Quaffle flew hastily towards it's unintentional target, Ron's eyes widened when he noticed it coming straight at his head. Instead of catching the speeding Quaffle, he ducked his head, allowing Slytherin to score the first ten points of the game. Before she returned to the middle of the pitch, she gave Ron a smirk, to which he gave her a glare.

"I hope you're ready for this, Ronald," she said to herself as she flew away to continue the game.

000

Draco smiled down at the redheaded Slytherin as she skillfully scored another ten points for their team. After an hour, the score so far was 170-50, with Slytherin in the lead. He chuckled to himself as he thought about the look on Montague's face right about now. Draco knew their captain was secretly hoping Ariella's training would backfire just to prove her wrong, so even if they won today, Montague would probably sulk for the remainder of the day.

Deciding to return to his duty, Draco glanced over at Gryffindor's captain and Seeker, Harry Potter, and saw that he was still searching for the Golden Snitch himself. Draco smirked and closed his eyes, trying to drown out the noise coming from the cheering fans in the stands below him and concentrate on hearing the faint twinkle of the Snitch. At first, he heard nothing, but after a couple minutes of concentration, his ears finally picked up the quiet sound. From what he could hear, it seemed to be coming from below him and to his left. His eyes shot open and he turned his broom to fly down towards the fluttering of the Snitch. As soon as he started chasing it, Harry seemed to notice his sudden movement, for he also darted to where Draco was headed. Draco glared over his shoulder at Harry before pressing forward, increasing his speed. The closer her got, the easier it was for him to see the Snitch as it glistened in the sunlight. His eyes widened in amazement when he realized that he had heard the Snitch clearly enough to pinpoint it's location. He chased the Snitch as it zigzagged through the air, leading him through groups of spectators in the stands, through one of Gryffindor's goal hoops, and finally settling out just five feet above the ground. Desperate to reach the Snitch before his rival, Draco stretched out his right arm, reaching for his tiny target. He strained as he tried to reach out further than his body would allow, eventually causing a searing pain to appear in his shoulder. Finally, he felt his fingers brush against the Snitch's fluttering wings as he closed the distance between him and his goal. Immediately, he clenched his hand around the tiny golden ball and pulled up on his broom to come to a halting stop. As he held up the Snitch for all to see, he heard Madam Hooch sound her whistle, signaling the game was over.

He landed his broom and turned to look up at the rest of his team. They were all cheering at him as they flew down to where he was standing. Ariella's cheers sounded louder than everyone else's, which made him smile up at her. As soon as she was within five feet off the ground, she leapt off her broom and ran towards him when she landed. As she ran towards him, she opened her arms and tackled him to the ground once she was within reach. He grunted when his back hit the ground, but smiled and wrapped his arms around the girl that was now hugging his neck. As the rest of the team approached them, Ariella stood up and offered Draco her hand. Once he took it, she pulled him up and smiled brightly at him. Draco returned her smile and then smiled at the rest of his team. As they gathered around him, he was too caught up in the excitement to notice Ariella walking away.

As Ariella walked away from the group of cheering Slytherins, she could already see Ron making his way toward her. He had a glare etched on his face, which only made her glare back at him.

Once he was within reach of her, he stopped in front of her and continued to glare. However, after a few seconds of silent glaring, Ron sighed and his expression softened. He shook his head, smiled weakly at her, and extended his left arm to shake her hand. "Congratulations, Ariella. You played phenomenally."

She folded her arms across her chest and continued to glare at her cousin.

Ron sighed sadly. "And I'm sorry for accusing you of cheating the Sorting Hat just to spite me. And for kind of abandoning you. It was wrong and I shouldn't have treated my favourite cousin like that." He looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."

She grinned and threw her arms around him. She giggled and hugged him tighter when she felt his arms wrap around her. As she pulled away, she smiled up at him. "I've missed you so much, Ron."

He returned her smile. "I've missed you, too." He then looked up at something behind her.

When she turned around, she saw that Draco had broken free of their teammates' grip and was now standing only a few feet from them. She left Ron's arms and went over to stand beside Draco. Draco smiled down at her and kissed her cheek, which caused Ron to growl. When she looked over at her cousin, she saw that his eyes were narrowed and his fists were shaking at his sides. She narrowed her eyes at him and yelled, "Ron!" This made his anger subside, as he was now paying attention to her. "Calm down. Draco and I are together."

His anger returned. "WHAT?"

She growled and took a step toward him. "Stop it! Whether you like it or not, I love him and he loves me. And before you ask, he perfectly respectful and genuinely cares about me. I know what I'm doing, Ron."

His expression softened again as he turned his attention to Draco. "Is this true?" When Draco nodded, Ron sighed before stepping over to the blonde. He stared into his grey eyes for a moment before he spoke again. "Hurt her and I'll kill you myself."

Draco smirked at the threat. "Trust me, I won't. I'm pretty sure she'd kill me before you got a chance to."

Ron smirked and turned to look at his cousin. "You know…you're probably right."

At that, Ariella stuck her tongue out at the two boys, but smiled when they laughed at her gesture. Life was slowly getting better. Not only did she have Draco, the one who loved her for everything she was, but now she had Ron, her favourite cousin and best friend. The last piece to her heart had finally been restored and now she could move on to the next chapter in her life with confidence.


	13. Chapter 13: Surreal Life

**A/N: Hello all! Yet again, a new chapter. :] However, this one is drastically short. I tried to make it longer, but nothing I added sounded right. :/ At the same time, I think this scene is best if left alone. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and I also hope I can keep up with these updates! I feel so accomplished being about to churn them out like this. :P **

It was a Sunday night and instead of catching up on her homework and studying, Ariella was simply laying on one of the couches in the common room, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her mind was elsewhere, not noticing any sounds, smells, or even any other sights besides the spot on the ceiling she'd been staring at for over an hour. She didn't even notice when Draco walked up to stand behind the couch she was laying on.

He gave her a quizzical look. He'd never seen someone in such a trance-like state before. Especially not the young redhead before him. It worried him. "Ariella?"

Her eyes looked over at him momentarily before returning to their previous target. "Hi Draco." Her voice sounded heavy with sadness.

He frowned down at her. "What're you thinking about?"

She shook her head. "Everything and nothing."

"Come on, Ariella. What's wrong?"

Finally, she turned her stare towards him. "I don't know. Nothing feels wrong, but, at the same time, nothing feel right either."

Now he was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Everything bad that's happened to me, like my family's murder, just seems too bad to be real. And everything good that's happened to me, which means my finding you and making up with Ron, seems too good to be real. I feel like if I just lay here for a few more minutes, I'm going to wake up and this will all have just been a dream." Finally, she sat up and looked over her shoulder at him. "Am I making any sense at all?"

He frowned and went to sit on the couch beside her. "Kind of. I think what you need is a way to make everything seem real. Like with Ron, maybe you two should hang out together and do some of the things you used to do."

She nodded. "Maybe you're right."

He nodded back. "Although, I don't know how else to prove to you that what we have is real and isn't going to just up and disappear."

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't doubt that our love is true, but it just seems too perfect. I feel like you have some kind of flaw that I don't know about."

Draco rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "That's because...I do have a flaw…." He dropped to his knees in front of her, taking a deep breath before he pulled up the sleeve on his right arm.

Her eyes widened and her hands went up to cover her mouth as she gasped at the Dark Mark on his arm. Her wet eyes narrowed at him as her hands fell back down to form fists. "You're a Death Eater?" Her words came out in a loud whisper, as to not catch anyone's attention.

He gripped her knees as he tried to explain himself. "Ariella, please don't be angry. Yes, I have the mark, but I got it last summer before we ever met-"

"What?" Draco could feel the heat coming off her body as her anger increased. "So were you there when my family was killed? Did you even plan on telling me you were one of his followers?"

He shut his eyes as he felt them start to moisten. He knew the moment he revealed his mark to her would be hard, but he hadn't imagined it to be this hard. He opened his eyes again to look into hers. "No, Ariella. I wasn't there when they killed your family. Voldemort doesn't allow members so young to go on missions like that."

"Missions?"

He shut his eyes tight in frustration. He was digging himself into a deep hole and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get back out. His eyes opened once more. "I didn't mean it like that. But even if he had wanted me to go with them, I wouldn't have done it."

She shook her head as tears were rolling down her cheeks. "How do you know?"

He stopped and stared at her for a moment before sighing. "I guess you're right. I don't know. But what I do know is that if I could go back and stop them, I would." Feeling defeated, he leaned over and rested his head in her lap. "I wish I could do that for you, Ariella, but I can't. And you have no idea how much it kills me."

Ariella stared down at the blonde. It was silent between them for a long while before she finally spoke up. "Even if you could, I wouldn't want you to."

Draco lifted his head up to look at her. She was…smiling. "Why not?"

"Because if you did that, I would still be living at home with my parents. I would've stayed at Beauxbatons for my seventh year. I would've never had to move in with my aunt and uncle and would've never had to attend Hogwarts. And lastly, I would've never met you." She put her hand on his cheek and wiped away a stray tear that had fallen with her thumb. "Draco, losing you isn't worth having my old life back."

He smiled back at her. "Ariella, I'm sorry for keeping this hidden from you. I just didn't know how to tell you."

She shook her head. "It's alright. I understand." She pulled him in and held him close. She smiled as she thought back to their conversation from when she'd snuck into his dorm. "I guess this explains your curiosity about my reactions to meeting a Death Eater." He didn't respond. He simply nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. She smiled and stroked the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. "I love you, Draco. Nothing will ever change that."

He finally pulled back and smiled at her. His silver eyes sparkled. "I love you, too. I'll never let anything happen to you."

She smiled at him and kissed his lips gently. As they pulled apart, she spoke. "Now this feels real."


	14. Chapter 14: Nausea

**A/N: Hello all! A little slow on this update, but at least I didn't take a whole month or something again. :P Anyway, a major point for this story is addressed in this chapter! The further I get, the more I get to thinking about the ending. BUT there'll be no spoilers coming from me, that's for sure. You'll just have to read until the end, which is going to be a long while from now. :] Well, since there's not much I can say about this chapter, I'll let you guys get to what you came for. Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review!**

It was a cold day, late in November, as a group of Slytherins made their way across the snow-covered grounds for the third time. They'd spent the last few hours talking about anything and everything that came to mind, and were currently discussing their plans for the Christmas holidays.

Draco was directing his attention to Crabbe and Goyle. "What about you two? What are your plans for the holidays?"

The two chubby boys exchanged glances before looking nervously back at Draco. Goyle spoke. "Well, we were hoping we could go home with you, like we have been almost every school year."

Draco shook his head, smiling. "Not this year, boys."

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged glances again and shrugged simultaneously. Once again, Goyle spoke for both of them. "Then I guess we'll be staying here this year."

Draco nodded, then directed his attention to Pansy Parkinson. "How about you, Pansy? Will you be going home for Christmas?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course I will be. Why on Earth would I stay here and miss the extravagant party my parents have planned?"

Draco smirked and looked over at Pucey. "And you?"

Pucey shrugged. "I'll probably be staying here for the holidays. My father will be away on business, so I doubt my mother will be doing anything special this year." He then looked over at the redhead holding onto Draco's arm. "What about you, Ariella?"

At the sound of her name, Ariella shook her head and looked over at Pucey. "Me?"

Pucey rolled his eyes. "Yes, you. Do you see anyone else named Ariella around here?" His tone was playful and he finished with a smirk.

She giggled. "Well, I haven't heard anything, but I'm pretty sure we're not going to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas. So I'll more-than-likely be staying here."

Draco looked down at her. "Actually, you're coming home with me."

Ariella looked stunned. "What? Really?"

Draco nodded. "I told my mum I had someone special I wanted her to meet, so she told me to invite this special someone to our house for the holidays."

Still a bit surprised, she smiled up at him. "Wow. Well, thank you. It'll be an honour."

Draco smiled down at her before returning his attention back to the rest of their group.

As the rest of them talked, Ariella stared out at the snow-covered grounds. The white, sparkling snow seemed to make everything look more beautiful than normal. It put a smile on her face. However, her smile was quickly wiped away as a wave of nausea hit her fast and hard. She unhooked her arm from Draco's, covered her mouth with one hand, and held her stomach with her other hand. She closed her eyes as she took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm her stomach.

Draco noticed her absence, stopped, and turned around to see what was keeping her. He immediately rushed back to her side, worried something might be seriously wrong. The rest of the group followed suit. "Ariella? What's wrong?"

She shook her head, opened her eyes, and let her hands drop to her sides. "I just felt a little nauseous, that's all."

"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?"

She looked at the blonde as if he had insulted her. "Of course not. It's probably just because I haven't eaten in a while. I get this way sometimes if I don't eat. Trust me, I'll be fine."

Draco looked up at the clock and then back at her. "Lets head back then. We can get a late lunch before practice. You need your strength."

She nodded, hooked her arm with Draco's again, and continued walking with him and the other Slytherins.

000

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Montague's voice carried through the locker room, drowning out the rest of the teams' conversations until it was silent. "While we did play a phenomenal game last week, everyone now knows what we're capable of so we need to train twice as hard to make sure we're completely ready to face off against Ravenclaw in January. Also, we need to make sure we're taking perfect care of ourselves so we don't run into the same dilemma that we did last week." He glanced over at Pucey momentarily, which made him blush from embarrassment. "Thankfully, we had Weasley to fill in for Pucey, but we won't always have that option." He then turned his attention to Ariella. "Ariella, I just want to thank you for making that decision last week. We may not have won if you hadn't've stepped in to make the call."

Ariella was leaning against a wall of lockers beside the entrance door. She smiled and nodded at Montague. "You're welcome."

Montague returned her smile momentarily, before regaining his serious composure. "However, I am still the captain of this team and while I don't mind anyone giving me a suggestion they might have, I do mind when my players start making my decisions for me. From now on, come and talk to me before you start trying to take control."

She bit her bottom lip as her cheeks turned a rosy colour. "I apologize for behaving that way and I will come to you first next time I have a suggestion."

Montague nodded and turned back to the rest of the team. "Very well. Today I want us to work on one of everyone's weaknesses." He turned to Draco. "Malfoy, I think today we should work on your Seeker skills. I don't know what Weasley taught you, but you did exceptionally well last week. However, I think you have plenty of room for improvement." Once Draco nodded in agreement, Montague turned his attention to Warrington and glared. "Warrington, you need a lesson in teamwork. I realize you may not get along with Weasley, but that doesn't give you the right to jeopardize our team because you don't want to play with a girl. Once you're out there on the pitch, you two are just teammates so act like it. I promise you, if you pull that attitude again, I'll go find us a new Chaser that doesn't have a problem playing as a team. Do I make myself clear?"

Warrington had a nervous look on his face, but tried hard to hide it. He nodded slowly.

"Good." Now Montague looked back at Ariella. "Ariella, I think the best thing for you to work on would be your skills either as Chaser or Keeper, just in case we need you to cover someone again. It's your choice."

She folded her arms across her chest as she thought. Within a few moments, her arms dropped and she nodded. "Okay. I'm pretty confident as Chaser, but I could use a lot work when it comes to Keeper. So how about I work on that?"

Montague nodded. "Okay. Then once we get out there, I'll have Bletchley protect the hoops first so you can watch him and then we'll let you have a go at it."

As she nodded, Montague continued his lecture to the rest of the team.

000

It was halfway through practice and currently Ariella was floating on her broom as she watched Montague, Pucey, and Warrington take turns throwing the Quaffle toward the hoops, trying to score, while Bletchley darted back-and-forth, trying to keep them from scoring. Twenty shots later, Montague ended the practice with Bletchley and called Ariella over to the goal hoops.

As she switched with Bletchley, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't be nervous. Just relax, keep your eye on the Quaffle, and concentrate on not letting it pass." Once she nodded at him, he flew over to where Draco was floating.

Ariella positioned herself in front of the middle hoop and locked her eyes on the three Chasers facing her.

Montague called out. "Ready?"

As soon as she nodded, he blew his whistle, signaling to start the practice. Her eyes darted between the three of them as she waited to see who would shoot first. Pucey was the first to heave the Quaffle toward her. She darted over to the left-hand hoop and caught the Quaffle before it could go in. As she threw it back, Montague gave her a thumbs up. She smiled until a new wave of nausea hit her. As she moved her hands to cover her mouth and hold her stomach again, she saw Warrington throw the Quaffle right through the middle hoop. She closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths, hoping to calm her stomach for the second time today.

Montague flew over to her. "Ariella! You let that one go right through! You didn't even try to block it."

She shook her head. "I don't feel well."

He looked at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head again and opened her eyes. "I don't know. But I feel really nauseous."

Draco had flown over to her by this point. "But you just ate!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe I ate too much then. There's no reason to get all worried about me. I'll be fine."

Montague shook his head. "Even so, I think you should sit out for the rest of practice. I don't want you up here if you decide to start throwing up."

Though annoyed, Ariella nodded and flew back down to the ground. In a way, Montague was right. If she did get sick, it'd be better for her to be on the ground, but at the same time, she hated to miss even half of practice. Quickly, she went into the locker rooms to change. As she did, she remembered an antidote for nausea she'd seen in her father's book. As soon as she was dressed, she left the locker room and ran straight to her dormitory.

Once inside, she grabbed the purple leather book out of her bag, fell down onto her bed and opened it to the "N" section. As she flipped through the pages, she repeated the words "Nausea-No-More" quietly to herself. Finally, she found the page with the desired potion on it. As she skimmed the ingredients, a small paragraph at the top of the page caught her attention.

_From motion sickness to food poisoning, this potion_

_will cure any nausea for any reason. Please note:_

_This potion does not; however, cure nausea due to_

_pregnancy and should not be consumed by anyone_

_who is or could be pregnant. See PREGNANCY POTION._

Ariella dropped the book onto her bed and stared down at her stomach. She didn't look or feel any different. She wasn't experiencing any of the symptoms she knew could be associated with pregnancy, other than the nausea, of course. However, she knew there was always the possibility. After all, it's not as if she and Draco were really being "careful." She sighed as she flipped through the pages until she found the Pregnancy Potion. If there was even a slight chance, she needed to be sure before she made the Nausea-No-More potion. As she read the ingredients, she smiled happily to herself. The potion seemed fairly simple to make and wouldn't require a lot of time. If she hurried, she could have it done by the time dinner was over. She pulled out her notebook and wrote down what she needed before standing up, closing the book, and making her way to Professor Slughorn's office.

000

As Draco sat at the long Slytherin table, eating his dinner, he continuously looked back-and-forth, trying to find his redheaded mate.

Pucey noticed his friend's anxious behaviour. "Draco, relax. I'm sure she's either resting or got caught up doing homework."

Draco looked over at the boy across from him. "I know, but she needs to be here. With the way she's been feeling today, she needs to make sure she's eating properly. Besides, I haven't seen her since practice. I want to make sure she's okay." As he stood up to leave, the large oak doors were pushed open by the redhead in question. Draco motioned her over to him and sat down once she reached him. As she sat down beside him, he noticed the exhausted look on her face. "Ariella, are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Sorry I'm late. I was busy working on a potion."

Pucey raised an eyebrow at her. "What potion? We didn't have to practice any potions for class, did we?"

She giggled, shaking her head. "No. I'm making it for me. You know, to help with the nausea I've been having."

"The same one you made for me?" Pucey asked, sounding slightly embarrassed as he remembered his ailment from last week.

She nodded before turning her attention back to Draco. "So, what did I miss at practice?"

He shrugged. "Not much, really. After you left, Montague had me work with catching the Snitch quicker." Draco smirked at the memory. "He's still not sure how I'm doing it, but he's impressed none the less."

She grinned. "Well, as long as you keep practicing, you'll be as good as me someday." She giggled and playfully nudged him with her elbow.

He smirked and rolled his eyes at her before glancing down at her empty plate. "Enough talking. You need to eat. I don't want you to be getting nauseous again because you didn't eat enough for dinner."

She rolled her eyes as she began piling food onto her plate. "Draco, I'll be fine. I know how to take care of myself." It was quiet for a few moments until she remembered her potion. "By the way, would you mind helping me with my potion tonight after dinner?"

He nodded. "Sure. But what can I do?"

"Well, honestly, it should be done by the time we leave here. I just wanted you to go with me."

He grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her tightly. "Then say that. You don't have to make up some story to get me to come with you. If you want me to go, I'll go."

She smiled up at him. Once they broke apart, she began eating her dinner while he moved on to dessert.

000

"Just out of curiosity, how did you talk Professor Slughorn into letting you use his classroom and his supplies to make your potion?" Draco asked as the two of them entered the classroom.

Ariella smirked. "I can be quite convincing." When she looked over her shoulder at the blonde, she laughed at the surprised look on his face. "Don't worry. I just explained to him that I was interested in perfecting my potion making skills and…_voilà! _It really wasn't that hard to convince him." Once she reached the cauldron holding the completed potion, she picked up an empty vial and filled it three-quarters of the way up. Putting down the vial, she then reached for a nearby knife, carefully pricked her finger with the tip, and held her finger over the vial, allowing a few drops of blood to fall into the potion. She mumbled a charm to heal her finger as she watched the blood dissolve into the perfectly clear potion. The potion became cloudy and soon turned a brilliant sapphire blue colour. Ariella felt her heart skip a beat as she gasped.

Draco turned her around to face him, with a look of concern etched on his face. "What's wrong?"

She smiled and held up the vial for him to see. "Draco, this is a Pregnancy Potion. It tests to see whether or not a person is pregnant. It starts off clear, but after adding a few drops of blood from the person being tested it can turn blue."

His eyes darted from Ariella's eyes, to the vial holding the blue liquid, to Ariella's stomach, and back up to her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

She set the potion back down and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Draco, I'm pregnant."

His mouth gaped open as his eyes darted again between her eyes and her stomach. "You…I…we're having a baby?" She nodded happily at him. He then knelt down and put his ear up against her stomach. After a few moments, he smiled up at her. "We're going to have a baby." He stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace. They stayed that way for what felt like a lifetime, simply holding each other and enjoying this happy moment in their lives. Not only had they both found the love of their life, they would be bringing a new life into the world, created by their love.


	15. Chapter 15: Hogsmeade

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for such a long delay! I took a break from my fan fiction to work on my other writing projects. Also, I'm expecting my own little one now, so that'll be taking up a lot of my time. :] Anyway, here's Chapter 15! I can't believe I've gotten this far. But we still have a long ways to go. :] This chapter is extremely short, but I really just wanted to get something out so you guys didn't think I forgot about you. :P I hope you all are enjoying it and don't forget to review!**

Draco fluttered open his silver eyes as he awoke. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. After a peaceful night's sleep, he felt completely refreshed and energized. He needed the extra energy, as today they would be doing their Christmas shopping in Hogsmeade. He climbed out of bed, walked over to his trunk, and pulled out a pair black trousers, a navy sweater, and socks. He dressed quickly, combed his messy blonde hair, slipped on his black dress boots, and left the boy's dormitory.

In the common room, he found Ariella writing in a little brown book. When she looked up at him, he smiled at her. She returned his smile and stuffed the book into her canvas bag. She stood up from the couch she was sitting on and walked over to hug him.

She nuzzled her face into his chest. "Good morning, Draco."

He squeezed her shoulders. "Good morning, Ariella. Did you sleep well?"

She pulled away and nodded up at him. "Very well. Did you?"

He nodded and took her hand. "Let's head up for breakfast. We have a lot of shopping to do today. You're going to need your strength and energy."

000

Shopping bags in hands, the couple strolled down the street towards their next stop: Gladrags Wizardwear. Most of their afternoon had been spent, along with a small chunk of their money, but Draco had one more thing he wanted to buy. Immediately, he went straight towards a rack of women's clothing. Ariella scrunched her face up at the clothes he was looking at.

"What're you looking for? Something for your mum?" she asked politely.

"Almost. I'm looking for something for you to where when you meet my mum."

She pouted. "Draco, I really don't need a new outfit for when I meet your mum. I have a couple nice dresses I could wear."

"I know, but I really want you to impress her." He turned around quickly, realizing how badly his words sounded. "Not that there's anything wrong with your normal wardrobe. I just thought that if you could wear something more her style, it might help her learn to like you."

She crossed her arms. "I really don't think my clothes will make that much of a difference, but if you insist. Let's make a deal. You can pick out the perfect outfit for me, whatever you think will impress your mum, and I get to pick my accessories. Deal?"

He crossed his arms and thought about her proposition before nodding. "Deal." He turned back around to continue looking through the rack of clothing. "I'll even try to find something green for you."

Ariella giggled. Within a few minutes, Draco pulled a green, form-fitting dress off of the rack. The dress had baby doll sleeves, a pencil skirt, and two small flaps on the hips. To her, it looked like something a business woman would wear. She scrunched her nose up at it.

Draco noticed her facial expression. "Remember our deal."

She nodded. "I know, I know. Besides, I think with the right accessories, I could make this dress look really cute."

He grinned mischievously at her. "You could make this dress cute even without the accessories."

She smirked. "While that is true, we should probably get this in a bigger size just incase I gain weight between now and then." She rubbed her belly and smiled happily down at it.

He hummed to himself as he took the dress up to the counter. There, an older woman stood behind the counter, smiling brightly. Her blonde hair was curled and pulled back from her pale face. The woman was wearing a mauve dress that was similar to the one he was holding, except it was sleeveless.

"Good day, sir. Can I help you with anything?"

Draco nodded as he handed her the dress. "Yes. You see, I was wanting to buy this dress for my girlfriend here, but she's pregnant and we were wondering if there's anyway you could make the stomach area bigger to accommodate her growing stomach?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course. Actually, if you'd like, I can enchant the dress to grow with her stomach. That way it'll fit perfectly no matter how big her stomach gets and it won't look overstretched or baggy. It's a simple enchantment, really. Many witches who are expecting have this done to their most favourite outfits."

His eyes went wide with amazement. "That sounds prefect!"

"Great. If you would, let me take this back to the back and I'll have it enchanted and bagged up for you." With that, the woman took the dress from Draco and headed toward a room in the back of the store.

He turned back to Ariella and saw that she was frowning. "What's wrong, Ariella?"

"That's something else I've been meaning to talk to you about." she said quietly.

He raised an eyebrow at her statement. "What is?"

She looked up at him. "I'd really like to be married before the baby comes."

His eyes went wide and his mouth gapped momentarily. "Wha-? Really?"

She blushed slightly. "Yes. I mean, if I didn't think we truly loved each other and that we would eventually get married anyway, I wouldn't even bring this up. It's not like I'm trying to trap you in a relationship that we shouldn't even be in. It's just that I've been thinking and I'd feel a lot better if we were married before the baby came."

Draco thought to himself for a moment before eventually nodding and smiling at her. "Okay. Let's do it."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. "Really?"

"Sure. I mean, I love you and you love me and we would've eventually gotten married anyway. If it'll make you feel better, then I'd be more than happy to do it."

She grinned and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Draco. Thank you so much for being so good to me." She pulled away to look up at his smiling face.

"Now when we visit my mother, we'll have two big things to tell her. I'm not sure if she'll be more shocked to hear that she's going to be a grandmother or that I'm marrying a Weasley."

Ariella giggled. "By the way, Draco, you don't have to get me an engagement ring. I'd really like to use this one as my engagement ring. It's just so beautiful." she said as she held up her left hand, on which she still wore her silver snake promise ring.

He seemed to be slightly disappointed by this, but tried hard to hide it. "Okay. If you insist."

Just then, the woman returned from the back and handed him a black garment bag. "There you are. That'll be twenty galleons, please."

Draco handed the woman the necessary payment and then the two of them left the shop. Outside, he looked over at Ariella quizzically. "Where shall we go for your accessories?"

Ariella shook her head. "You're not going with me. I want it to be a surprise. Why don't you take the rest of our bags back to the common room and I'll take my dress to find accessories to match it? You can just have Pansy lay my bags on my bed in our dormitory. Later, we can meet in the Great Hall just before dinner?"

He frowned. "Ariella, please make sure what you get looks tasteful. I want everything to be perfect when my mother meets you."

She rolled her eyes at him. "As if I'm really going buy outlandish accessories just to get back at you for making me wear this horrid dress." She smirked and winked at him.

He grinned back at her. "Okay, I trust you." At that moment, he gave Ariella the garment bag and took the rest of her bags from her. "I'll see you later." With that, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before turning and heading back to the castle.


	16. Chapter 16: The King and Queen

**A/N: I am truly sorry for the absence! It wasn't until recently I was able to even get in the mood to write and make anything come out. I found my inspiration again so lets see how long I can keep it going. Anyway, I will be posting several chapters this time as to kinda make up for the delay. I hope everyone still likes the story. :) Also, I will be posting a picture of Ariella's outfit on my profile, if anyone is interested.**

Ariella pulled at a long, wavy strand of hair, perfecting it's shape, before finally sitting back and admiring her reflection in her mirror. She felt the dress Draco had chosen for her was very elegant, but the accessories she'd found made it look more her style. She glanced down at the charm on her necklace, which looked much like the Dark Mark, and wondered if Draco would be uncomfortable with her wearing it. Shrugging it off, she stood, picked up her long black coat, and grabbed her trunk before leaving the girl's dormitory to meet up with Draco.

000

As Draco waited in the Entrance Hall, he became more and more nervous with each passing minute. Today he would be taking Ariella home to meet his parents and even the thought of it made his stomach flip. He still had no idea what Ariella had paired with the green dress he'd gotten her and hoped that her outfit would impress his parents. He tried to push his nervous thoughts away when he saw Ron and Hermione walking over to him.

Hermione was the first to greet him. "Good morning, Malfoy. Why are you standing out here?" She glanced around, realizing Ariella was not with him, "And where's Ariella?"  
Draco sighed. "Still getting ready, I presume. She wanted me to meet her here this morning instead of waiting in our common room."  
"What's going on with you? You seem incredibly nervous." Ron asked.

Draco nodded. "I am. I'm taking her home to meet my parents and I want them to approve of her. I just want everything to go perfectly." He thought to himself about the news of their engagement and pregnancy and knew there was no right way they would be able to tell his parents without them getting upset. So far they had kept their engagement to themselves until after they told his parents and he hoped he could get through this conversation without giving up their secret.

Ron rolled his eye, annoyed. "I, for one, will be impressed if they ever approve of her. She is a Weasley after all."

Draco glared at him, but his attention was quickly drawn towards a _click clack _noise coming up the stairs from Slytherin's common room. He first saw her long red hair that fell in waves over her shoulders. The dress he had picked fit her perfectly, hugging each of her curves in a sexy way, while still looking professional. She had a long black coat draped over her arm and her black peep-toe heels finished off her outfit perfectly. She was stunning.

Ariella smiled when she noticed all of them gawking at her. She spoke specifically to Draco, "What do you think? Good enough to meet Mum and Dad?"

All Draco could do was nod, still mesmerized. She grinned again. Now that Ariella was closer, Draco took note of her cobra earrings and her necklace that looked very much like a Dark Mark. He frowned. "Doesn't this symbol bother you?"

She shrugged. "Sort of, but I thought it might earn me some bonus points from your dad."

Draco shook his head, amused, and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful."

Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah you do," he reached over and hugged her before taking Hermione's hand, "I hope you have a good holiday, Ariella. I'll miss you. You two better be good." With that, he and Hermione waved goodbye before entering the Great Hall.

Draco gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her hair before taking hold of her trunk. "Come on. We should eat before we leave." He smiled down at her when she took his free hand and they walked into the Great Hall together.

000

Later that morning, Ariella and Draco sat quietly in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express as it made it's way back to London. Draco was laying down on one side, trying to sleep through the noise and vibrations of the train, and Ariella sat on the other side, carelessly flipping through a copy of _Witch Weekly._ Growing bored, she tossed the magazine aside and looked down at her protruding belly, laying a hand on top of it. She guessed she was nearly through the first trimester of her pregnancy and had yet to see a healer. She'd gone to Madam Pomfrey once, but the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts was not equipped to deal with pregnancies. Besides meeting Draco's parents, one of the first things Ariella wanted to do when they arrived was to make a trip to St. Mungo's.

She turned her attention to Draco. "Draco? Are you asleep?"

He groaned loudly before sitting up to look at her. "No. Every time I get close to falling asleep, this damned train wakes me up." His mood lightened as he eyed her hand over her stomach. "How is our little one?"

She smiled weakly. "Fine, I think. Um, Draco? How exactly are we going to break all of this to your parents anyway?"

"I thought we'd do it the same way we told Ron. I mean, I thought just blurting it out worked out perfectly." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. He chuckled when he saw her blush. He was sure Ron was going to kill him when Ariella told him she was pregnant with his child. For once, he'd actually been afraid of the Weasel. Eventually, Ariella, Ginny, and Hermione convinced him to relax and stop hunting him, but there was still an uncomfortable tension between them. He reached over to rub his hand over her stomach. "Ariella, I think the only news we'll have to tell them is about the wedding. I think they'll figure out the pregnancy themselves."

She pouted down at her bump. "Am I really that big already?"

He moved to sit beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Not necessarily big, but your little bump does stand out now." He leaned in close to whisper into her ear. "Especially in this dress." He caught her earlobe in his mouth and nibbled gently, eliciting a small moan from her. As he kissed down her neck, leaving love bites here and there, he could hear her breathing become heavy.

"Draco. Not now," she whimpered.

Ignoring her, he brought his other hand over to rest on her knee, slowly sliding it up her thigh and under her skirt. Feeling her legs stiffen up, he removed his hand and brought it up to turn her head towards him so he could kiss her. Within seconds he felt her tongue snake its way into his mouth. When he felt her relax, he moved his hand back down her body, slowly, only stopping to cup her breast long enough to make her moan again. His hand traveled over her bump, down her thigh, and then back up under the edge of her skirt. He was about halfway to his target when Ariella pulled away from him, out of breath. Before he could say anything, a knock on their compartment's door caught his attention and he withdrew his hand.

A train attendant was standing there scowling at them as she pulled open the door. "You two, separate immediately!" She waited until Draco returned to his seat across from Ariella. "Keep your hands to yourself or I'll separate you for the rest of the trip."

They nodded as she shut the door and continued down the train. They glanced at each other, blushing, before finally breaking the silence by laughing. Draco gave her a quick peck on the lips before laying back down, while she picked up her magazine once again.

It wasn't long before the train pulled into King's Cross Station. Quickly, they gathered their trunks and got off the train. As soon as they stepped onto Platform 9 ¾, Draco could see his mother standing back away from the other families waiting to greet their children. He smiled over at her and took Ariella's hand, leading her over to his mother. Mrs. Malfoy smiled to her son and his redheaded girlfriend as they made their way over to her. Once they had passed through the crowds of people, she noticed Ariella's slightly protruding stomach and her smiled faded. Draco noticed her frown and quickly moved to hug her so he could whisper to her, "Not now, mother. We'll explain everything at home." As they pulled apart, Mrs. Malfoy simply nodded and left through the magical barrier.

Ariella frowned after her. "I get the feeling she doesn't like me already."

He pulled her close, kissing her forehead. "Don't worry. Once we get home, we'll sit down and explain everything. She'll come around."

"What about your father?"

All he could do was shrug before he pulled her through the barrier with him.

The ride home was painfully silent. Every once in a while, Draco would reach over and give Ariella's hand a gentle squeeze. Once they pulled up to the manor, Mrs. Malfoy commanded their driver to have their trunks taken up to Draco's room before leading the way into the manor.

Ariella's eyes lit up once they stepped inside. The elegance of Malfoy Manor was almost overwhelming. A lot of it reminded her of her home. It was very dark, but Ariella thought if she could just draw back the drapes on some of the windows then the light would warm up the room nicely. She wanted to explore the multiple floors, but Mrs. Malfoy beckoned them to follow her to a new room: a large study. Tall dark bookcases lined the walls, two black leather Chesterfield sofas sat facing each other in the middle of the room, and in the back sat a large, dark wooden desk covered with various stacks of papers and other novelties.

Mrs. Malfoy sat down on one of the sofas while Draco and Ariella sat down on the other. It was silent for a moment before she finally sighed and looked over at her son. "Draco, what is your father going to say?"

"Mother. Stop. I love Ariella." Draco took Ariella's hand in his own before he continued. "I've never felt as close to a person as I do with her and nothing you or Father say will change that."

"But Draco, you two are far too young to raise a child!" Concern was evident in Mrs. Malfoy's voice.

"We know we're young, but we will figure out. We love each other and our child more than anything. We'll be fine."

Ariella sat and stared at the two blondes. She leaned forward a bit, catching their attention. "Mrs. Malfoy, if I could please speak? This whole relationship is mostly my fault so if you wish to be angry with someone, be angry with me."

Mrs. Malfoy looked at her suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Realizing where she was going with this, Draco gave Ariella's hand a firm squeeze. "Ariella. No."

Ariella ignored him. "When I first met your son, I refused to tell him my family's name. By the time he found out the truth, it was too late. He tried to abolish our friendship, but couldn't and eventually we fell in love."

No one had heard Mr. Malfoy enter the room. His voice boomed. "What is your name?"

Ariella looked over at the tall, intimidating blonde. She swallowed hard before speaking with as much power as she muster up. "Ariella Weasley."

Mr. Malfoy instantly glared down at his son and girlfriend. He then glanced over at his wife before storming out of the room. Mrs. Malfoy stood to follow her husband. Before she left the room, she turned back to them. "You two should go up to your room, Draco. We'll discuss this further at dinner."

Once they were alone, Draco turned his attention to Ariella. "I thought we said we were _not_ going to just blurt it out?"

She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "The sooner they find out, the sooner they can decided whether or not to accept it."


	17. Chapter 17: Passion and Acceptance

Ariella sighed as she lay there staring at the ceiling of Draco's room. The last hour and a half had been spent by Draco giving her a brief tour of the enormous manor. Now, she lay on his bed trying to distract herself from the faint arguing she could hear downstairs. She sat up when Draco walked back into the room, slamming the door.

He grunted as he leaned back and slid down the door. "Maybe coming home was a bad idea."

"They would've found out eventually. Better now so they can get their anger out before the baby is born."

"I know, but I wish they would just be happy for us. I think my father is more angry than my mother. Give her some time and she'll come around to accept it for my sake, but he is the stubbornest man I've ever known." Draco then looked over at her, his frustration disappearing. He crawled over to her, picked up her left foot, and slid off her heel before kissing her ankle. He then did the same with her right foot, leaving a trail of kisses up her leg and stopping at her knee. Still on his knees, he leaned up and kissed her passionately. As he kissed her, he slid his hands under her skirt, grabbing the sides of her panties, and pulling them off. He tossed her panties onto the floor as he stood up, breaking the kiss only to pick her up and lay her back down with him over her. He leaned down to resume kissing her and felt her hands go up to play with his hair.

"DRACO!" Mr. Malfoy's voice boomed loudly up the stairs.

Draco growled, got up and opened his door to yell back. "I'm not coming down until you accept Ariella as my girlfriend!" Without waiting for a response, he slammed the door, locked it, and muttered a sound-proofing charm on the room. When he returned to the bed, Ariella was staring at him curiously. He grinned suggestively, "I'll be damned if someone interrupts us a third time today."

She bit her bottom lip and reached up to begin unbuttoning his shirt while his mouth attacked hers. Once she finished with the final button, she slipped her hands inside and pushed it off of his shoulders. He pulled away to toss his shirt on the floor before resuming their kiss. Balancing himself on one arm, he used his other hand to slowly push up her skirt to expose her most sensitive region. He left a trail of kisses across her jaw and down to her neck, where he stopped to bite and suck, making her moan. Just as he went to bite down again, he reached his hand between her legs and began to rub at her sensitive spot. Instantly, her hips jerked and a loud moan escaped her lips. He grinned when he saw her grabbing fistfuls of his bedsheets. The more he rubbed, the more she would moan and arch her back. Just watching her body jerk uncontrollably was turning him on, but he wasn't sure how long he could just sit by and watch. Fortunately, he felt her hands go up to fumble with his belt and once she had it unbuckled, he stood up to undo his pants. In one swift motion he pulled both his pants and boxes off before climbing back on top of her. Instead of plunging into her, he simply sat there and stared down at her.

She was panting and trying to thrust her hips up to meet him. "Please, Draco. I can't take much more of this."

He smirked and leaned over to kiss her nose. As he did he thrust deep into her, moaning as her felt her warmth all around him. He looked her in the eyes. "You look so beautiful like this, Ariella. Knowing that I'm the only one that gets to see you with that lustful look in your eyes is such a turn on." She tried to smile up at him, but he immediately began thrusting in and out of her, causing her to whimper and moan loudly. He could feel her walls start to tighten around him, bringing him closer to the edge. He bent down to bite at her neck and just as he did, he felt her walls clench tightly around him as she reached her climax. A few thrusts later and he, too, was thrown over the edge.

All that could be heard was their rapid breathing. He smiled down at her and kissed her before pulling out and rolling to lay beside her. She cuddled up to him, laying her hand on his chest and tracing small circles with her finger. He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Ariella."

She smiled up at him. "I love you, too, Draco." She then looked down at her dress. "I hope I wasn't expected to wear this to dinner. It's all sweaty now."

He laughed. "Sorry, but you look incredibly sexy in it. We can shower and change before we go down for dinner."

She ran her nails down his chest. "Hmm. I might like a shower," she said suggestively, "How about you?"

He smirked and kissed her. "Oh, definitely."

000

Ariella sat at the long dining table, uncomfortable by the silence. Dessert was almost finished and no one had spoke a word to each other. Occasionally, Draco and his father would exchange glares and then his mother give them each a stern look as a signal to stop. Ariella couldn't wait for dinner to be over. All she wanted to do was go upstairs, crawl into Draco's bed, and go to sleep. Between all of the arguing, heightened emotions, and passionate love making with Draco, she was exhausted.

Suddenly, Mr. Malfoy rose from the table. "Draco. Care to join me in the study?" Draco huffed, but stood and followed his father out of the room, leaving Ariella and Mrs. Malfoy alone in the dining room.

Mrs. Malfoy gave Ariella a small smile. "Ariella. Would you come with me to the parlour room?"

Ariella nodded slowly and stood up to follow her. The parlour was a small room that obviously belonged to Mrs. Malfoy. The floors and wicker furniture were made of dark wood, while the cushions on the chair and loveseat were pastel green with little white flowers. A tray sat on the ottoman with a white and jade porcelain tea set. As they sat down, Ariella spoke, "Mrs. Malfoy-"

"Please, dear," she interrupted, "Call me Narcissa."

Ariella nodded. "Narcissa, I want to apologize for any tension I may have cause your family."

Narcissa held up her hand to stop Ariella from speaking. "There's no need for you to apologize, Ariella. While Lucius and I were quite shocked by you at first, I can tell my son loves you dearly. Draco has never stood up against his father, but tonight he did. He was confident and stood up for you and himself. Honestly, I've never been so proud of him." She then reached across and patted Ariella's hand. "You two have my blessing."

Ariella's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. "What?"

"I noticed you were wearing my ring." She smiled when Ariella blushed. "As I said, I can tell you and Draco love each other. He wouldn't have given you that ring if he didn't. You two have my blessing whenever you decide to marry. And don't you worry about Lucius. I'll convince him to accept you."

Ariella smiled nervously. "Thank you. It's funny you mention the wedding."

"Did you two have something in mind?"

"We were actually hoping to be married before the baby was born."

Narcissa's eyes widened. "That's doesn't leave much time at all. Are you sure? You haven't even known each other a year." Ariella nodded. "Well, okay. I'll help you plan it. We can have it here at the manor while you're on holiday."

"Really? We could do that? But there's so much to do and very little time!"

Narcissa smiled at her. "Don't worry, Ariella. I'm quite the event planner."

Ariella grinned from ear to ear and stood up to hug Narcissa. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't believe you would do something like this."

Narcissa hugged her back. "Of course. Whatever makes my son happy makes me happy and you, my dear, make my son very happy." As they pulled apart, Ariella let out a small yawn. "Go on up to bed, Ariella. We can talk in the morning."

000

It was after midnight and Draco still had not come to bed. Ariella had been laying in his bed for over an hour trying to stay awake, but she felt if he didn't return soon she might fall asleep before he got there. As if on cue, Draco suddenly walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. He yawned and then smiled when he spotted Ariella in his bed. "Ariella, why are you still awake?"

"I was waiting for you."

He smiled, quickly changed into a pair of green silk pajama bottoms, and climbed into bed beside her. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "How did it go with my mother?"

Ariella could smell the faint scent of fire whiskey on his breath. "Great actually. She has agreed to hold our wedding here while we're on holiday."

His looked at her, surprised. "You told her?"

She held up the hand with her ring on it. "I didn't have to." She changed the subject after Draco nodded. "Draco, were you drinking?"

He sighed. "Yes. He offered me a drink and then tried to convince me I didn't really love you, I just thought I loved you because you're carrying my child. Ugh!" He laid his arm over his eyes.

She frowned. "Don't worry, Draco. Your mother said she would talk to him and get him to change his mind."

He moved his arm and looked over at her. "I hope so. If I ever had to choose between you and him, I'd pick you every time, but I still would like his approval."

She snuggled closer to him, kissing his chest. "I know." Unable to stay awake any longer, Ariella shut her eyes and quickly fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18: Unbelievable

Narcissa sat at the small breakfast table, stirring her tea idly as she stared at the garden outside. She still had barely processed all of the information from yesterday, but was accepting it. Draco, her baby, had met a beautiful young woman, fallen in love, and now they were preparing to marry and have a baby. All in under six months. She thought back to when Draco was just a child, not even attending school yet. Back then the garden was full of colourful flowers, trees, and shrubs. She used to spend many afternoons sitting outside watching her son play and run around. It would only be a matter of time before she could sit and watch her grandchild play and run around.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt her husband kiss her cheek as he sat down beside her. "Good morning, my dear."

She scowled over at him, not saying a word.

"Cissy, what's wrong?"

"You know damn well what's wrong, Lucius! Our son came home to introduce us to the woman he loves, but instead of being happy for him all you do is criticize him because she's not who you want him to be with."

Lucius narrowed his eyes at her before opening up his copy of _The Daily Prophet_ and hiding behind it. "Hmph!"

Narcissa smacked the tabletop hard, but before she could retaliate, Ariella and Draco entered the sunroom. She smiled up at them, trying to regain her composure. "Good morning, Draco. Ariella."

They smiled down at her and Ariella spoke, "Good morning, Narcissa."

Narcissa turned to her husband. "Lucius, let's eat our breakfast out in the garden."

He turned a page of his paper and replied bluntly, "I'm content eating inside."

She gave him a stern look. "Lucius, I _insist _that we eat out in the garden today."

"And I _insist_ that I'm fine staying right here."

Before Narcissa could respond, Ariella interrupted them. "Um. I think Draco and I will eat out in the garden today." When Draco tried to object, Ariella elbowed him in the ribs. "Come on, Draco." With that, Ariella and Draco left the sunroom, leaving Lucius and Narcissa alone.

Once she was sure Ariella and Draco could no longer hear them, Narcissa smacked the tabletop again. "Lucius!"

Lucius brought his paper down forcefully, scowling at his wife. "What is it, Narcissa?"

"It's you and your attitude!" she stood up and looked down at him, sternly, "Whether you like it or not, Ariella is the one Draco has fallen in love with and _our son _needs our support. She is carrying our grandchild, for Merlin's sake! She is a part of this family now and should be treated as such. You need to go out there and apologize to them right now."

Still scowling, he folded his paper up and threw it down onto the table before getting up and stepping out onto the patio. He walked over to the small iron table in the middle of the garden, at which Draco and Ariella sat. Once he got close enough to them, Draco turned around to look up at him.

"Yes, Father?"

Lucius' eyes went back and forth between them. "Draco, your mother and I were talking and..." he glanced over his shoulder and saw his wife watching him. He sighed and turned back to his son. "As soon as you're done eating, we need to get you fitted for dress robes."

Draco gave him a confused looked. "Dress robes? But, Father, I already have dress robes."

He sighed, trying not to sound annoyed. "Son, this is your wedding we're talking about. You need new dress robes. Now hurry up so we can leave."

Still slightly confused, Draco nodded. "Okay?" As his father turned and walked back towards the manor, Draco turned to Ariella. She, too, looked confused.

"What was that about?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure, but maybe my mother really did get through to him. At least a little bit."

Back at the manor, as Lucius stepped back into the sunroom, Narcissa smiled at him. "Thank you, Lucius."

He glanced over at her. "Hmph!" Quickly, he walked past her and headed to his study.

000

That afternoon, Ariella was in the kitchen washing the dishes she had just used. Draco was still off with his father getting fitted for dress robes, so she had decided to bake brownies in her spare time. While they baked in the oven, she cleaned up the kitchen.

Just then, Narcissa stepped into the kitchen. "Ariella, what are you doing? You don't have to do that. The house elves will get it."

Ariella looked over her shoulder at her and smiled. "It's okay. I don't mind. I've always done things for myself."

Narcissa walked over to the oven and opened it briefly, smelling the warm brownies. "Did you make these?" Ariella nodded. "They smell delightful."

Ariella smiled at her. "Thank you!"

Narcissa returned her smile. "So how are you feeling? Better today?"

Ariella shrugged. "I suppose."

Narcissa raise her eyebrow at her. "What do you mean? Lucius did apologize, right?"

Ariella bit her bottom lip, nervously. "Not exactly."

Narcissa felt her blood start to boil. "What exactly did he say?"

"He offered to get Draco new dress robes for the wedding."

"Ugh! That man, I swear..." she trailed off. "Ariella, I'm sorry. I told him to apologize to you two."

Ariella let out a small smile. "It's okay. Mr. Malfoy doesn't seem like the type to get over something like this so quickly."

Narcissa shook her head, laughing slightly. "No. No, he's not. But this time he needs to. At least for Draco and our grandchild." She then glanced over at Ariella, concerned. "Honey, have you been seen by a healer yet?"

Ariella shook her head. "No. I tried going to the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, but they're not exactly prepared to deal with this sort of thing."

Narcissa grabbed her arm, stopping her from washing the dish she was holding. "We've got to get you to St. Mungo's immediately! You need to see a healer to make sure the baby is growing normally!"

"But-!"

Narcissa gave her a stern look. "No buts! Dry your hands off so we can go."

"Narcissa, please. I want Draco to be with me," Ariella begged, "He should be there to see our baby for the first time."

She sighed, but smiled apologetically. "You're right. As soon as they return, we'll leave."

000

At St. Mungo's, Ariella was laying back on her bed, looking around the room curiously. Draco sat beside her, holding her hand and kissing it every so often.

He smiled up at her. "I feel eager and nervous all at the same time. I can't believe we're going to see our baby."

She smiled back at him. "Me too."

Just then, a male healer walked into the room, dragging a small projection screen behind him. He was tall, pale, and had neat black hair. He smiled at Ariella and Draco before sitting down on a stool beside her bed. "Good afternoon, Ms. Weasley. My name is George Sanitas. I understand you're here today for a prenatal exam?" When she nodded, he continued, "Very well." He began by raising her shirt so he could feel her abdomen. He pushed along the top, bottom, and sides of her bump, analyzing it's size and feeling for the baby. Suddenly, his eyebrows rose.

Draco noticed his surprise and became nervous. "What's wrong?"

Sanitas ignored him and brought the screen over, facing away from Draco and Ariella. He waved his wand over her abdomen, muttering a spell, and moved the tip all around her stomach. Every so often he would nod or hum, but never said a word to either of them.

Draco was growing frustrated. "What exactly are you humming and nodding about? What do you see?"

Sanitas smiled and turned the screen so they could see. He moved the tip of his wand over the left side of her abdomen and then pointed at a long blob-looking shape. "You see this? This is a baby. This long oval is it's body and the large circle is it's head." Ariella and Draco smiled brightly at the screen. Then Sanitas moved his wand to the right side of her stomach. To their surprise, another baby shape appeared.

Ariella's mouth dropped. "Two? We're having twins?"

Sanitas nodded, still smiling. "Congratulations." He waved his wand again, making the image on the screen disappear. "As far as I can see, they appear to be perfectly healthy and growing at a normal rate. I will caution you that twins rarely make it to full term, so do not expect to carry them the full forty weeks."

Ariella nodded, still in shock over the news. "How far along am I?"

"Going by their size, I would have to say you're about thirteen weeks pregnant." Sanitas then grabbed the screen and began wheeling it out of the room. "I have nothing else to do here, but I advise you find yourself a midwife soon. You can leave when you're ready." With that, he left the room.

Draco and Ariella stared at each other for a while before finally hugging each other tightly. Ariella spoke first, "Draco, I can't believe it."

He pulled back, kissed her forehead, and smiled down at her. "I guess we're going to have two babies."


	19. Chapter 19: Making Plans

That afternoon, Draco found himself wandering the halls of his home, looking for the redhead that he loved. Since they'd seen their twins for the first time yesterday, he'd been spending the majority of his time rubbing, talking to, and listening to her stomach. Before they knew they were having twins, he knew he had loved their baby, but after seeing them, he had fallen even more in love with them. He couldn't wait to meet them and be able to hold them in his arms.

As he passed by the study, he heard his father call out to him and stopped. "Draco! Could you come in here, please?"

Draco turned back and entered the study. Lucius was sitting at his desk. Draco walked over and sat down on the arm of one of the sofas. "What is it?"

Lucius rose and walked around to lean against the front of his desk. "I want to talk to you about your plans for your life."

Draco gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Lucius had a serious look on his face. "Draco, you're about to have your own family. Where do you plan to live? How are you going to support Ariella and the twins?"

Draco frowned. "I-I don't know."

Lucius shook his head. "You don't know." He came over and placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "This is why I have a hard time accepting what you're doing. I'll admit that I didn't like the idea of my son marrying a Weasley, but I can tell you love her. You look at her the same way I look at your mother. But you have no plan for your family. Did you expect to live here?"

Draco shrugged slightly. "Right after graduation until we found a place of our own."

"And how do expect to pay for a place of your own? The money your mother and I have set aside for you won't last forever. You are a man now, Draco, and as a man you have to be able to take care of your family."

Draco stared up at his father briefly before nodding. "You're right. I'll start coming up with a plan. I promise I will support my own family."

Lucius smiled down at him. "Come up with a plan and I'll give you my blessing. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into."

Draco returned his smile. "Thank you." Lucius dropped his hands from his shoulders, but before Draco left, he thought of something. "Father, have you seen Ariella lately?"

Lucius shook his head. "No, but she may be with your mother. I think she said she wanted to discuss the wedding with her today."

Draco nodded and left the study, heading for the parlour. Just as he had guessed, there sat Ariella and his mother sipping tea while looking through various bridal magazines. He knocked of the door frame before entering. "Am I interrupting?"

Narcissa greeted him with a smile. "Of course not. We actually wanted your opinion on a couple things."

He came over, wrapped his arms around Ariella, and kissed her cheek. "Like what?"

Narcissa set down her teacup and picked up a clipboard with a list attached to it. "The first thing is wedding colours."

Ariella looked up at him. "I was thinking of green and silver."

Draco smirked. "So a Slytherin themed wedding? I guess it fits perfectly for the Prince and Princess of Slytherin."

Ariella grinned back at him. "I thought the same thing."

Narcissa nodded and made a note on her clipboard. "Okay, now what about a date? Have either of you thought about when you'd like to get married?"

It was silent for a while and then Ariella shook her head. "I'm not sure. I never gave the date much thought."

Draco nudged her. "What about Christmas Eve?"

Ariella looked at him, surprised. "Really? Christmas Eve?"

He nodded, smiling a little. "Sure. I can't think of a better day for us to get married."

Ariella considered it before smiling. "Okay. Lets do it." She looked over at Narcissa. "Would that be okay with you?"

She nodded. "If that's what you want, we can do it. Lets see..." she jotted down another note on her clipboard, "that leaves just five days to get everything ready. We should get invitations out today so everyone has a little bit of a notice."

Ariella frowned. "But most of our friends are back at Hogwarts."

"Don't worry, Ariella." Narcissa said, smiling, "I'll talk it over with Professor McGonagall. Surely we can work something out so your friends can attend."

Ariella smiled. "Okay."

"Now," Narcissa began, "we should work on a guest list, but first, lets talk about who you would like to be a part of your wedding party."

Ariella thought carefully. "Well, I know I would like Ginny. And Hermione. And..." she trailed off, biting her bottom lip nervously.

Narcissa stared at her, waiting for her to finish. "And?"

Draco smiled over at the redhead. "And Ron?"

Ariella blushed, nodding her head slowly. "If you wouldn't mind. I know the groomsmen are yours to choose, but-"

He held up his hand, cutting her off. "Ariella, I know how close you two are. I would be more than happy to have Ron as one of my groomsmen."

She smiled brightly at him. "Thank you, Draco."

He returned her smile. "You're welcome. However, in exchange, I would like for you to have Pansy as one of your bridesmaids."

She thought it over before nodding. "Okay. It's a deal."

Narcissa had just finished making more notes on her clipboard. "Wonderful. Now, Draco, you have two more groomsmen to pick. Any ideas?"

He shrugged. "I would probably go with Crabbe and Goyle. They've been my best friends for as long as I can remember."

She nodded as she jotted down their names. "Now that that's decided, who shall we place on the guest list?"

Ariella glanced over at Draco. "I was thinking we should stick to just close friends and family."

Draco nodded. "Okay. So that would be a couple invitations for your family, one for Potter, and one for Zabini. Should we invite the team?"

She nodded. "Yes. I think I'd like to invite Luna and Neville, as well. Now what about your family?"

Draco shrugged. "My parents will already be here. I don't know of any in my family who would want to see me marry a Weasley or that wouldn't make you uncomfortable."

Ariella smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Draco."

Her kissed her reassuringly. "It's okay. I only want the people that will be happy for us at the wedding. We don't need anyone's negative attitude ruining our day."

Narcissa stared at the young couple in front of her, smiling. They complimented each other nicely and reminded her a lot of Lucius and herself as teenagers. Though she and Lucius would never have imagined their son falling for a Weasley, she now couldn't imagine him with any other woman. Remembering the wedding plans, she cleared her throat to grab their attention. "Well then, I think the next thing to discuss is-"

Draco suddenly stood up. "Later, Mother. Ariella needs to rest."

Ariella looked up at him, quizzically. "What do you mean? I feel fine."

He took her hand and pulled her up from her seat. "Come on. Lets go lay down."

"But Draco, I-" she sighed when he pouted at her, "Okay, fine."

As the two began to leave, Narcissa called after them. "But what about the wedding?"

Draco called back over his shoulder, "We can talk about it again later this evening." And with that, they were gone and on their way up to Draco's room.

Once inside, Ariella went over to sit on the edge of the bed while Draco shut the door. When he turned around to face her, she was frowning at him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not tired."

He smiled softly. "Come on." He then went to lay down, pulling her down to lay beside him. One arm he had wrapped around her shoulders and his other he laid across himself so his hand rested on her belly. "We don't have to sleep. I just want to lay here with you."

She reached up to intertwine her fingers with those he had laid across her stomach. "What's with you lately? All you've wanted to do since last night is lay here and rub my stomach."

He kissed her hair, smiling. "Seeing our twins just made this whole thing, I don't know, more real. I love laying like this knowing they're in there."

"Aww. Look at you, becoming all emotional," she teased.

He chuckled. "It's your fault."

She elbowed him, trying to seem offended. "How is it my fault?"

"Because if I would've never met you, you never would've gotten pregnant and I wouldn't be getting so emotional now." He then smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "I also never would've known what it feels like to truly love and be loved by someone as much as I am with you. I would probably still be the same mean Malfoy everyone warned you about and still be following my Father in his worship to Voldemort." He sat up, pulling his arm out from underneath her and smiled down at her. "I'll take being emotional to that any day."

Ariella smiled up at him. "Me too." With that, she placed her hand on the back of his head and pulled him down to her until their lips met.


	20. Chapter 20: Two Days

**A/N: So how did everyone like the big 4 chapter update? :] I hope it made up for my absence. I will be trying to work on this when I have time so I can finally be finished with it. I have a sequel planned, but I will probably wait until I have a stockpile of chapters written before I post it. But that's something to worry about much later. :P Anyway, enjoy and remember to review, favourite, and/or follow!**

_Dear Diary,_

_ I can't even begin to express how I feel right now. In just TWO days Draco and I will be getting married! Today we're picking up the dresses and tuxes. I can't wait to see my dress again. I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect wedding dress. After that, the only thing left to do is wait for our friends and family to arrive. I can't wait to see Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur again._

…_..._

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door frame. Draco smiled in at her. "Hey."

Ariella smiled back, shutting her diary. "Hey."

He nodded to her diary. "What're you writing?"

She hugged it to her chest. "None of your business."

He pouted and came over to sit beside her on his bed. "Come on, Ariella. You're going to be my wife in two days, but you can't tell me what it is that you're writing in there?"

She shook her head. "It's my diary and you're not allowed to read it." She quickly stuffed it under her pillow. "And don't you go sneaking a peek when I'm not around."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Okay." He then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "So are you ready to be Mrs. Malfoy, yet?"

She giggled. "Almost."

He looked hurt. "Almost? Why 'almost'?"

"We still need our clothes, silly!"

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Oh, right. But other than that, you're ready?"

She nodded, grinning. "The bigger question would be: are _you _ready for me to be Mrs. Malfoy?"

He nodded and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "More than ready. I just hope I can figure out how to take care of you and the twins."

Ariella raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

Draco sighed. "I spoke with my father a couple days ago. He told me that he no longer cared that I was marrying a Weasley because he can tell that I truly love you, but he still can't accept our decision until I come up with a way to support you as my family."

"But, Draco, you don't have to support me. We can work together."

He shook his head. "No. I want you to stay with the twins. They need at least one of us to be there for them. I don't want them raised by nannies. Besides, as a Malfoy male, it's my job to provide for my family."

She kissed his cheek, causing him to glance over at her. She smiled softly at him. "Then I'll help you come up with a plan. Have you ever considered what you would do for a career?"

He shrugged. "Not really. I always assumed I would follow in my father's footsteps."

"Hmm," she hummed, "what about potions? You told me you have a real passion for the subject. Perhaps you could study to become a Potions Master?"

He stared at the floor, thinking it over carefully. "Perhaps. But do you think I really could become a Potions Master?"

Ariella nodded, smiling brightly. "Of course. I've seen you in class. You nearly get an O on every assignment. Plus, it's something you enjoy. You would be a perfect Potions Master."

He looked over at her. "Really?"

She nodded, again. "I'll tell you something, Draco. In a lot of ways, your skill and passion reminds me of my dad. And that's saying something."

He grinned, slightly embarrassed by her praise. "Thanks. Maybe I will."

She kissed his forehead before standing up from the bed. "You think it over. In the meantime, I need to pick up the dresses and you need to pick up the tuxes. Oh, and make sure you don't peek at my dress. It's supposed to be a surprise. Plus, they say it's bad luck."

He rolled his eyes at her as he stood up to leave. "Whatever you say, Ariella."

000

The warmth of the boutique's fire was welcoming as Narcissa and Ariella stepped inside. They each brushed off the snow that had clung to their coats before stepping to the side to wait for the boutique's owner. As Ariella looked around, she smiled as memories of the day she'd first been here rushed into her mind. It was the same boutique she'd purchased her unique school robes at. It was also the place she'd first seen Draco. She then remembered the small argument that had ensued between Ron and her when she had expressed her attraction to the blonde boy. A small giggle escaped her lips, earning her an odd glance from Narcissa. Ariella shook it off and smiled when she finally saw Miss Margret emerge from the back of the store.

Miss Margret returned he smile and clapped her hands together. "Mrs. Malfoy! Miss Weasley! Wonderful to see you again. I've just finished bagging up all of your dresses. I think you'll be quite pleased with them."

Ariella grinned. "May I see them?"

"Of course. Just a moment. Let me fetch them from the back." Miss Margret retreated back behind one of the velvet curtains and returned with four long garment bags. She hung three of the bags on a small empty rack beside the counter and then proceeded to unzip the bag in her hands. The dress she pulled out was a knee-length, strapless, silver bridesmaid dress. The fabric had a very faint shimmer to it and a silver bow was tied around the waist of the dress.

Ariella grinned and clapped her hands when she saw it. "Oh, it's perfect! Simple, but gorgeous." She glanced over at Narcissa, who was smiling. "What do you think?"

Narcissa nodded. "It's beautiful, Ariella. Now what about your dress?"

Miss Margret quickly returned the dress to it's bag and sealed it up. As she placed it on the rack, she took one of the other bags and unzipped it. The dress she pulled out was a long, a-line, strapless dress. It was primarily white with a green strip around the waist and green on the back of the skirt. White intricate beading decorated the bodice, the edge of the skirt, and up the green part of the skirt.

Ariella let out a small gasp and reached her hand up to cover her gaping mouth. "Oh my goodness. It's-it's..." She couldn't find the words she wanted to say or her voice to say them with. She desperately fought back tears when she felt Narcissa wrap her arms around her shoulders.

"Oh, Ariella, it's stunning! Absolutely brilliant!" Narcissa looked down at the redhead and chuckled when she saw her dabbing tears out of the corners of her eyes with her fingertips. "Don't cry now, dear. I'm sure you'll do plenty of that the day of your wedding."

Ariella let out a small laugh. "I don't even know why I'm crying. I wasn't this emotional when I first saw the dress."

Narcissa hugged her tightly. "You're going through so much right now, it's hard to say. It could be pre-wedding jitters, it could be pregnancy hormones, or it could be something entirely different." She pulled away and smiled down at her. "You're going to be a beautiful bride, Ariella."

"Thank you." Ariella smiled before turning her attention to Miss Margret. "Miss Margret, you've done a phenomenal job. The dresses are better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you so much."

Miss Margret smiled as she placed the dress back inside it's bag and zipped it up. "It was my pleasure, Miss Weasley. Good luck in your marriage. And do feel free to come back should you have anymore tailoring needs."

Ariella nodded as she and Narcissa each took two of the garment bags. "Thank you. And I will. Have a good day, Miss Margret."

When Narcissa and Ariella returned from picking up the dresses, Narcissa had one of the house elves take the garment bags upstairs. While Narcissa retreated to the parlour, Ariella made her way into the kitchen with the intent on fixing herself a snack. However, just as she passed the study she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Ella! There you are!"

Ariella rushed back to the study and a wide grin appeared on her face when she saw her family there. Molly came over and pulled her into a tight hug.

When they pulled apart, Molly smiled down at Ariella's bump as she placed a hand over it. "I hear you're expecting your own set of twins."

Ariella nodded. "Lets hope they're nothing like Fred and George." she joked.

Simultaneously, Fred and George yelled, "Hey!"

Ariella laughed at them. "I'm only kidding." She turned back to her aunt. "So you're not upset?"

Molly gave her a confused look. "Dear, even if I was, there's not much I could really do about it now is there? The best thing for you right now is to have a family that loves and supports you."

Ariella hugged her aunt again. "Oh thank you!" She pulled away and looked over to see Ron standing in the corner with Harry and Hermione. She smiled at them and went over to hug her cousin. "It's good to see you, Ron."

"You too, Ariella." When they separated, he gave her a curious look. "You sure you want to marry Malfoy?"

"Ronald!" Hermione said, sounding appalled.

"What? All I'm saying is it's not too late for her to change her mind."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him before stepping forward to hug Ariella. "Congratulations, Ariella. And thank you so much for asking me to be a bridesmaid."

Ariella smiled. "Thank you, Hermione."

"Speaking of which," Ron interrupted, "what's this about me being one of Malfoy's groomsmen? The poor sod not have anymore friends to ask?"

Ariella glared over at him and punched him in the arm, making him wince. "No, he did it because I wanted you to be part of our wedding. Really, Ron, you need to grow up. And stop calling him Malfoy. I'm going to be a Malfoy, too, you know?"

Ron grumbled, but said nothing as Draco had suddenly come over to them.

He gave Ariella a quick peck on her cheek. "I see you all have gotten reacquainted." He nodded at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Potter. Weas-oof!"

Ariella had elbowed him in the side. "Draco, we talked about this. First names."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Right. It's _so _good to see you, Harry, Ron, and Hermione," he said in a mocking voice. When Ariella pinched the bridge of he nose and sighed, he couldn't help, but laugh. The other three chuckled as well.

Harry finally spoke up, still chuckling. "Ariella, this has been going on for six, almost seven, years now. It's not going to change overnight."

000

That evening, Ariella walked around Draco's room in her pajamas, brushing her long red hair before climbing into bed beside Draco. Just as she leaned over to give him a kiss goodnight, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He answered.

Slowly, the door crept open and Molly Weasley slid inside, shutting the door behind her. She had a thin book in her left hand. "Sorry to bother you two so late, but I have something for Ariella."

Ariella patted a space on the bed in front of her. "It's not a problem, Aunt Molly. Come. Sit down."

Molly took a deep breath before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Ella, I know this has been quite a year for you. When you told me you didn't have a single picture left of your family, I decided to go through all of the pictures I had to see if I could find some to give to you. There weren't many, but I put them all in here." She handed Ariella the thin book she'd been holding. "I'd meant to give this to you for Christmas, but I thought it might be better for you to have it now."

Ariella had a surprised expression on her face and had almost forgotten how to breathe. Taking a deep breath to refill her lungs, she slowly opened the front cover, her hand trembling. She didn't even notice Draco leaning over to see over her shoulder.

The first page showed a picture of her parents as teenagers. Her father, dressed in his Gryffindor robes, was carrying her mother piggyback. Her mother, dressed in her Slytherin robes, had her brown hair pulled back into a neat ponytail and her green eyes shone brightly. Her father's somewhat messy red hair didn't quite block his pale blue eyes from showing. They both appeared to be smiling and laughing. They looked happy. Immediately, Ariella felt tears building up as she stared down at the picture. On the next page was a picture of a young Ariella hugging a young Ron tightly. Ron looked disgusted, like he might've gotten cooties from her. Ariella laughed slightly and turned the page again. The next picture was of Ariella holding her baby sister, Starla, just a few days after she was born. Finally, on the last page was a picture of her family together. It was an old photo. Starla, with her short blonde pigtails and face covered in dirt, looked to be only a couple years old, which meant that Ariella had to be about eight years old.

Unable to hold back anymore, Ariella set the photo album aside and wrapped her arms around her aunt. Between sobs, she managed to say, "Oh, Aunt Molly. Thank you, thank you, thank you! This means more to me than you know."

Smiling, Molly rubbed her niece's back. "You're welcome, dear. I know it's not very many, but it's all I had."

Ariella pulled back and wiped her eyes. "It's more than what I had." She smiled. "I love you, Aunt Molly."

Molly reached up to rub her thumb across Ariella's cheek. "I love you, too, Ella." As she stood up to leave, she leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, dear." She smiled over at Draco. "Goodnight, Draco."

He flashed her a small smile. "Goodnight, Mrs. Weasley." Once Molly left the room, Draco pulled Ariella to him. "Ella, huh?"

She let out a small laugh. "Aunt Molly is the only one I've ever let call me that."

He nodded, picked up the photo album, and turned to the first page. "You look a lot like your mother. Except the hair, of course."

Ariella smiled up at him. "Thanks."

He kissed her softly and then pulled her down to lay with him. "Come on. You need your rest.

She snuggled close to him. "Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Ella." He smirked when he heard her growl. "Sorry. Had to do it."

**A/N: Links to pictures of the dresses are on my profile, so feel free to take a look :]**


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